Zodiac Interference
by Big-Babidi
Summary: Instead of Cloud ending up in Ivalice, the reverse happened. In a strange, unknown land, Ramza Beoulve must find his way. M/M M/F F/F
1. Nibelheim: An Unknown Location

Goug Machine City. Home of ancient items from the earlier and more advanced days of Ivalice, this island had a never-ending supply of adventurers and engineers exploring every inch of the area in hopes of making a grand discovery. Day in and day out, various sounds of tinkering rang all throughout the city. One such noise came from the home of Mustadio Bunanza. Finding ancient artifacts of their own, Mustadio and his father were busy at work tinkering with their latest find.

"Ramza! Come here!" He shouted, noticing his friend walk by the entrance. The heretic Beoulve stopped his current activity to go and greet his friend. A large backpack with numerous items protruding from the top had been tightly fastened to his back.

"Carrying perfumes again? It'd been days since hiding your identity was so critical. Last I checked, you only carried a single Setiemson."

The heretic Beoulve raised an eyebrow, "What do you… ah yes." He stopped, frowning, "Lady Meliadoul has fallen ill. Her possessions are on my back."

"Nothing serious I hope?"

Ramza shook his head. "A fever, a few days rest will return her strength. Still…" Despite her tough exterior, she was a really nice girl. Ramza hoped she would recover soon. With Alma and Reis tending her, he recognized the former Shrine Knight had been left in excellent hands, but couldn't help his reflexive concern when any of his companions suffered.

Musatdio nodded, "Indeed. Alas, your attention is needed elsewhere." Changing the subject, he gestured his arm towards an unusual machine both had seen before. It appeared to be some type of orrery, with various contraptions Ramza knew nothing about continuously propelling atop of two thick wooden platforms, the first with a topless pyramid shape and underneath laid a smoother surface. "You don't suppose this one will metamorphose as well do you?"

"We'll soon know." Ramza approach the contraption, easily understanding what Mustadio wanted. Their last encounter with this relic of the past left all three with an objective: obtain the Cancer stone. Similar to their previous discovery of Worker 8, the marking of a certain zodiac sign had been engraved on the machine, most likely describing the key required to activate it. Unlike last time, they had the object necessary to unlock this tool's secrets.

Crouching, Ramza placed the stone in the appropriate area before standing back up. In less than a second, the room darkened and the floor beneath them began to tremble violently.

"Father's mercy!" Mustadio cried, falling to the floor. His father barely stood upright, cane repeatedly pressing for balance and a hand placed on the wall.

The machine emitted a high pitch noise, its volume almost deafening and leaving the men with no choice but to cover their ears. Soon after, steam starting blasting from various sides in small bursts, followed by a hiss of lightning that smacked the floor behind Ramza. The Beoulve leapt forward in a fit of shock, landing near the stone of Cancer. Immediately, the device sent another dosage of electricity that surrounded both Ramza and the stone. Afterwards, the old relic began glowing white until it covered the entire room.

"This foul light shines like the blinding sun!"

But Ramza didn't see it.

Or hear it or touch it or grasp it or understand it.

When engulfed in that white light, Ramza's world had already gone black.

* * *

**Disclaimer  
**I don't own _Final Fantasy Tactics_ or _Final Fantasy VII_.

**Note(s)**  
There will be male/male, male/female and female/female in this fic.

* * *

Zodiac Interference

Nibelheim

Chapter 1: An Unknown Location

By Big-Babidi

* * *

Regaining consciousness, Ramza groaned as he opened groggy eyes. He lay on his back staring towards the blue sky, resting against a surface far harder and edgier than the floor in Besrodio's house. Obviously outside atop a formation of stone and dirt, he began to take in his surroundings while recalling the most recent events of his memory.

"Where…?" His voice trailed off, taking in the awkward, unfamiliar scenery. Okay, so the device in Goug was likely some sort of transportation device. Mustadio's father had mentioned it once offhandedly, no doubt believing it an impossible find, but the real mystery to solve was where he went.

Or perhaps he was simply hallucinating. For now, he shoved that thought aside.

The landscape seemed to suggest he awoke in some type of mountain path. He couldn't remember any similar location to Gallione offhand, but Ramza was far from claiming knowledge of every inch of the land. He spent a few more minutes surveying the area to prepare his next course of action. A guess was made, though Ramza had no idea of its validity.

'_The ground's color and murky atmosphere, am I near Poeskas Lake? Perhaps there lay a trail of mountains, its existence I knew naught.' _

He couldn't remember such an environment during his prior march to Limberry Castle, but his fixation in rescuing Alma at the time halted any ideas for taking detours, so the possibility certainly existed. Even if he guessed correctly, where to go from here? The Poeskas region had some of most dangerous monsters in Ivalice –such as King Behemoths and their much fiercer dark brothers– so staying put seemed absurd and unintelligent.

"Nothing gained while remaining afoot."

One step forward and he stopped. Looking down, Ramza noticed the backpack he'd carried before this incident at his feet. Seeing the items within made him so incredibly thankful to Mustadio for calling him before returning Meliadoul's equipment he could have sworn the resulting grin touched his ears. Her Save the Queen, Aegis Shield, Ribbon and various perfume bottles would certainly come in handy. He would regret the lack of his own equipment (save a couple projectiles) on his personage later.

One second later, his smile vanished and eyes widened immensely.

Earlier that day, all zodiac stones save the Aquarius nestled inside Worker 8 and the device-powering Cancer had been stored in that bag. What once contained eleven now held three: Libra, Capricorn and the mysterious Serpentarius.

'_Oh no the stones! Reclaiming them takes priority. No cost –my existence included- is too great a price to ensure such weapons avoid evil hands.'_ In the blink of an eye, the situation became much more horrifying. No more hesitation. He had to move. Unsure of where he stood in proximity to Poeskas Lake, he took another look around the mountain hoping to find something, anything. His answer, his barely visible answer, came in the form of a familiar shine, one he'd seen on thirteen different objects since Cardinal Draclau. Buried in the rubble was a Zodiac Stone almost entirely hidden from view. At least reclaiming them was still possible.

"South it is."

He had ground to cover and familiar territory to find.

* * *

With two hours of exploration spent in the unfamiliar mountains, only his vast experience in crazy and potentially dangerous situations kept Ramza Beoulve from panicking wildly. He'd yet to find anything recognizable and the area was just plain weird. All throughout the past one hundred and twenty minutes, neither hide nor hair of his friends and allies showed up. He didn't dare call for them and stuck to avoiding monsters. Without awareness of what creatures laid in wait, he thought against garnering attention of whatever resided here. He'd yet to see any familiar monsters and he hadn't fought alone since his disastrously deadly battle against Wiegraf Folles. Using caution sounded quite good.

Continuing his trek, he stepped over one such monster. A green, four-eyed creature that resembled an overgrown iguana, it seemed to enjoy leaping at his opponents. If Ramza had slower reflexes, he would've been mauled by the animal. Sneaking up behind him, it tried to pounce while the heretic inspected the contents within a strange white container. Ramza grabbed the weapon inside and immediately attacked while turning around, slicing it in half.

The boxed treasure brought about another conundrum. He'd seen the Rune Blade before. An expensive sword with magical enhancements that Beowulf preferred to use in combat, it had a brown hilt and a white blade with a pink edge. It looked nothing like this uncovered sword bearing the exact name. It wasn't a blue sword that grew wider from the bottom up; it didn't have a white spherical shaped object –with four round holes in its corners– with a small blade from each side that separated the blade from the hilt.

'_What does this mean?'_ Ramza wondered, eyeing the weapon. Then again, perhaps he was reading too much into it. The blond hadn't forgotten the Javelin and Escutcheon discovered in Nelveska Temple. Despite having similar names to a spear and shield purchased at castles, they had vastly different appearances and an ever greater gap in power. Another similar case of identically-named weapons was certainly possible. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something felt … off.

Placing the Rune Blade into his backpack reminded him that other containers had been confiscated since he began exploring. Starting with a type of gauntlet, a purple orb, a rifle Mustadio would _love_ to get his hands on and ending with some type of barrette Ramza could feel his bag filling. More importantly, he regained two more Zodiac Stones, Taurus and Virgo specifically. He couldn't wait until reaching the nearest town, his mind already planning his next course of action. Sell unnecessary supplies, eat dinner and stock up on food, buy some Chocobos off some townsfolk for a hefty price, and hire a few men from the soldier's office –simultaneously hoping at least one shared similar preferences– who could accompany him during the long trip back to Goug. Of course, finding the stones was top priority so they'd have to retur-

"Get away from him ya sick bastards!"

"Yeah! Leave him alone!"

His plans and brief fantasy had been interrupted by a disturbing scene nearby: A young girl and two boys shouting and running from four monsters salivating for human flesh, a pack of animals getting closer and closer to dining on their prey. Assessing the enemies in an instant Ramza noticed half of them were actually familiar. He never imagined feeling relief to see a pair of Bombs, but stranger things happened two hours prior. The other two monsters were a strange bird-like creature he'd never seen before. At first glance, they resembled the Cocatoris he encountered at Nelveska Temple or Fovoham Plains, but their purple wings and more aerodynamic shape left him guessing.

"Those children are unsafe. I must make haste!" Immediately racing towards the scene, Ramza reached down into a small pouch at his side, filled with a few shuriken for emergency throwing, the only weapons belonging to him instead of Meliadoul. The launched projectile found itself lodged in one of the birds, sending the creature plummeting to the ground in death. Closing the distance considerably, Ramza stopped and pulled back his right arm.

"Burning Anger Rising, Burst! Wave Fist!" A stream of energy jettisoned from his now-extended arm, making direct impact with the Bomb's face. Completely caught by surprise, the orange creature crashed against the ground and rolled for a few seconds before stopping entirely.

"Take shelter children! I'll not let harm befall you!

The young trio did not need telling twice.

"Thanks dude!"

"Yeah man, kick his ass!"

"Good luck!"

'_Such informal manner they speak.'_ He briefly thought, watching the children vacate to safer grounds. The hiss of an enormous Bomb reclaimed his attention. Reaching into his backpack, he quickly drew Save the Queen and leapt back not a moment too soon. The other bird-like monster swooped in from the side, hoping to catch the blond by surprise. But Ramza had other plans. As soon as his feet left the ground, he swung Meliadoul's knight sword downwards, intercepting the bird with a clean slice through the neck, leaving the creature decapitated.

Taking advantage of the extra time, the Bomb roared loudly, its body expanded in mass to almost double its original size. Ramza raised an eyebrow, _'Bombs possessed that ability? When?'_ Leaving the unanswered thought aside, he clasped the sword with both hands and approached slowly, waiting for his enemy to make the first move. It didn't disappoint, quickly lunging for the Beoulve. Ramza changed the sword's positioning, the blade pointing to his right. When he parried the Bomb's dive, he sidestepped to the left, Save the Queen burying itself within the monster's midsection and continuing through thanks to its own momentum.

The exchange left both combatants with their backs turned. Immediately, Ramza turned around and began ruthlessly attacking. The white knight-sword connected with the Bomb. Once. Twice. Thrice! With a loud grunt, Ramza leapt at the monster, swinging one last downward blow supported by his own body weight, effectively (if also messily) finishing it off. Blood continuously poured from each of the monster's wounds, resulting in a sickening mess across the mountainous ground that shouldn't be seen by anyone, least of all young ones.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced towards the kids and their pitiful attempt at hiding behind a few rocks.

"Tis safe now Children! Hide yourself no more!"

Each youth stood, looking around uncertainly before rushing to Ramza's side.

"How'd you do all that? It was awesome!"

"Yeah man, you ripped 'em apart good!" One of the boys responded, throwing fake punches to the side while imitating silly fighting noises.

"Are in SOLDIER or something? That was badass!"

The girl nodded enthusiastically, black pigtails flailing wildly, "With such a cool lookin' sword, he's gotta be!"

"And check out that armor! That's gotta be heavy as hell!"

Ramza smiled at the youngsters, despite misunderstanding almost everything said, their strange country accent not helping matters in the slightest. What in all of Ivalice did "SOLDIER" or "badass" mean anyway? Similar claims of gushing praise with unknown or made-up words lasted another five or so minutes, until the kids instantly stopped talking and approached the fallen Bomb. His eyes widened with each step taken. That Bomb's death was far from his cleanest kill and he had no desire to watch kids play around in a scene of such epic brutality.

"Hey, ya think that's the gold shard he was talkin' about?"

"How should I know? It's not like any of us have seen the stupid thing!"

"Yeah you stupid idiot!"

"Idiot? Fuck you!"

"What the hell did you say to me?"

"I said you were fat and beaten with a ugly stick, ya flat-chest that's what!"

"Oh, you're so gonna pay for that!"

"Children, halt your tongue!" Ramza shouted, fed up their behavior. And to think he worried they'd get traumatized from the carnage. "Cease this madness at once!"

To their credit, the mouth of each child instantly closed. The young girl even pretended to seal it shut with an imaginary zipper.

"Foremost, let us proceed further before prolonging discussion." Even if they weren't panicking at the scene; the fact remained that carcasses smell. Ramza preferred not to lounge in disgusting areas if given the choice. The kids wore confused expressions, but still followed his lead when he walked past them. Surprisingly enough, it looked as though the mountain was at its end, green grass entering his line of sight. The different environment forced him to remember his objective. Thinking back, he realized both areas between Poeskas Lake –Limberry and Germinas Peak– had green grass, resulting in further exploration needed to make a solid prediction.

He waited until entering the plains before restarting conversation.

"Do you know of a nearby village?" He asked out of the blue, glancing over his shoulder to the kids.

The trio stared at each other.

"Well… yeah," one of the boys hesitantly, hoping not anger the man once again, "we're walking to one right now."

Ramza's eyebrows shot up considerably. "Truly?" In hindsight, that shouldn't be so shocking. The kids had to come from somewhere.

The other boy chuckled, "Yeah. We're country folk, so don't feel bad that you didn't know."

Joining her friends, the girl nodded, all three smiling nervously. Ramza felt like he'd been Wave-Fisted in the stomach. Releasing his ire on innocent children was sickening. "My apologies for harsh words. Today has left me … fatigued. Forgive me. Please, converse as you please."

Faces brightened, a trio of voices quickly filled the air. They didn't fully understand what he said, but an apology was an apology.

"Thanks mister! So… who are you anyway?"

"Ramza." Possibly being in Nanten territory, he thought against revealing his full name. For all their sakes.

One of the boys rested both of his behind his head, "That's cool. So where ya from Ramza?"

The heretic looked up, "Hmm… from a distant land far, far, _far_ away," his tone gradually increasing with melodrama. Not only should the kids keep their smiles, but he'd learned a lesson while fighting the good fight: epic serious business kills. The need to lighten up, relax and enjoy was an urge that needed constant indulgence.

Giggling, the girl responded first, "Let me guess: Icicle Inn?"

"Nah," One of the boys joined in, "I'll bet it's Mideel or Wutai."

"My money's on Kalm, Midgar, Costa Del Sol or Bone Village."

"You can't say four different things and bet on all of 'em ya dummy!"

"Says who! For that, I also got money on Junon!"

As the three began an argument on the validity of plural gambling, Ramza barely stopped himself from freezing in shock. His exterior appeared no different, but thoughts raced through his mind at a mile a second. Costa Del Sol? Mideel? Midgar? Wutai? What were those children talking about? No stranger to world travel, he still had never heard of any of those places. At that moment, he finally acknowledged a thought that had been poking in his subconscious since his exploration of these mountains began.

Perhaps he wasn't in Gallione, Zeltennia or anywhere in between. Perhaps he warped to Ordallia or another area, both unfamiliar and completely different from his brief stay in Murond Death City. Did Ivalice have a new area? Did Ivalice have an entirely new _continent_ under everyone's noses? One entirely undiscovered and uncharted by the finest sailors of Warjilis and Zarghidas? While sounding absurd, it certainly wasn't out of the question. Unfamiliar mountains, strange monsters and different weapons certainly weren't disagreeing. Not to mention some of the names were ridiculous. Bone Village? Really?

"Ramza? Ramza!"

Ramza felt his pondering shaken away by a small boy failing miserably to pull his armor, "My apologies. My mind went astray." He told the lad, smiling.

The kid smiled in return. "I was asking if you were a member of SOLDIER."

A what? Apparently, this new land had other job classes available, this "SOLDIER" possibly being one of many. Unfair thinking, but considering everything strange that transpired today, Ramza briefly wondered if something equally weird applied to the occupation. Something insane like powerful combat abilities but only usable with a sword found in a volcano.

"SOLDIER?" He simply asked, unsure of how to provide a proper response.

"You know… the best of the best of Shinra's guys. They carry a sword and are real tough."

Shinra. Another unknown term. Joy.

"Yeah, and I heard that a SOLDIER or two will be coming to town real soon."

"No way! Where'd you hear that?"

"I overheard the mayor talking about it. Something to do with the reactor."

Ramza shook his head, a bemused smile born from the kid's low attention spans, "I've no part in them."

"Really? Well what do ya do then?"

"Well," Ramza pondered for a moment how to best explain it, "I travel between lands. A traveler, you could say." Wow, that sounded so lame. No one could've possibly believed it.

All three nodded, "That's so cool!"

He sighed. This village better show up soon.

* * *

The game of twenty questions lasted much longer than Ramza expected. By the time they reached civilization, the three kids learned a plethora of interesting and downright worthless trivia about the traveler, ranging from his age and love for milk to his favorite time of day for Chocobo-riding or his speed in setting up camp. More strange monsters attacked during the walk –labeled by the kids as Nibel Wolves– but Ramza had no difficulty dispatching them. Creatures that preferred mindless charges with little strength backing them up were better off keeping the most possible distance from the experienced Beoulve.

Walking past a strange pole-shaped object embedded in the ground, Ramza turned to the right and found himself gaping, facing the largest home he'd ever seen. With multiple floors and incredible width, Ramza briefly wondered if he entered this area's capital city. Even the Beoulve manor had nothing on this. Down a couple steps and he saw a well surrounded by numerous buildings, each having far more impressive interior design than any residence he could remember.

The only thing missing was a castle.

"Hey you!"

While the children instinctually cringed, Ramza shifted his gaze to the voice. Three women with anger in their eyes, a seemingly curious teenage girl and a confident old man approached him as a group.

"Where have you been! We've been looking all for you!"

'_Ah. Mothers.'_ Ramza thought, noting how each lady reprimanded a child sharing similar physical traits and spoken accents. All three appeared enraged but he could see the relief pouring through them. A small smile tugged at his lips. The sight before his eyes was yet another reminder of what he'd been fighting for since protecting Ovelia at Zirekile Falls and collecting Zodiac Stones. What he'd helped protect from defeating Altima at the airship graveyard.

During the commotion, the old man stepped closer to the Beoulve. "And who is this?" He asked, gesturing to Ramza.

One of the boy's faces lit up, "That's Ramza! He talks weird and he's strong! Super super strong! He saved us from these big scary monsters and-" he gasped and covered his mouth, his mistake recognized too late. His friends reactions, the boy shaking his head and the girl's epic facepalm, said enough.

Curiosity peaked, the old man stroke his beard, _'Strong you say.'_

"So you _did_ wander off!" The boy's mother shrieked.

His companion's mother had similar feelings to her own child, "What were you thinking! That's dangerous!"

"Just you wait young lady, you'll regret lying to us like this."

Annoyance turned to fury as each mother tugged her child roughly in the direction of their homes, ignoring their vehement protests.

"It was an accident I swear!"

"Accident my ass, it was all his fault!"

"You will watch your mouth!"

"Don't blame me flat-chest! This was your idea!"

"Oh, you need to teach your son some manners …."

The shouting gradually diminished as the group kept walking. Ramza only felt a slight pang of sympathy. The children had no one to blame but themselves, though without their guidance he probably would've continued randomly searching for Limberry. A cleared throat from the old man reclaimed his attention.

"My apologies. I am Ramza," he said, getting back on track. Like the children, he preferred against revealing his full name. The possibility of residing in Nanten territory still existed and unlike the kids, this man was far from youthful, nearing an age around Balbanes' own number. Ramza would rather avoid risking an unpleasant reaction to a name like Beoulve.

"So I heard," he replied amusedly, "Well, let me be the first to welcome you to Nibelheim. I'm Zangan and this lady right here," he gestured to the teenage girl who'd been silent throughout this entire conversation, "is my pupil Tifa. So what brings you all the way out here?"

For the first time, he took a good look at the pair in front of him as Tifa waved lightly. With large red fighting gloves, red padded vest and cape and white pants, Ramza pegged Zangan for a monk. A skilled one. Looking past Tifa's bizarre clothing consisting of a white corset, an orange vest, miniskirt and cowboy hat, he saw a student with an eagerness to learn not unlike himself at Gariland Magic Academy.

"I've business in the mountain. Artifacts. Personal artifacts lost in travel." A half-truth, but Ramza preferred it to outright fabrication. Loathing dishonesty, he unfortunately learned to successfully lie over the years as a heretic, something demanded when trying to keep a low profile. At that point, the returning trip to Goug needed serious rethinking. Confirming his location seemed more efficient than randomly roaming the countryside hoping to find familiar landscape. If he could reclaim additional Zodiac Stones in the meantime while planning his next move, Ramza knew he wouldn't lose hope.

"I see. Are you planning to travel back up the mountains anytime soon?"

"Tis likely, yes." He wasn't quite sure where the elderly man's line of questioning would take him.

Zangen crossed his arms. "I overheard the boys mentioning your strength."

"Oh?" Ramza raised an eyebrow.

"And I was wondering if you'd be interesting in helping us out," he continued, "I'm unsure what you know of the geography around here, but with mountains on one side and a small body of water and harsh terrain to Cosmo Canyon on the other, it's hard for supplies to find their way here. I've lately been doing a lot of the hunting myself. Now I'd like to bring Tifa along for her training, but I ain't getting any younger and I'd prefer having someone else along for extra precaution. From what those kids said about you, I think you're right for the job."

Ramza frowned. That description was unsettling. Unless they had an enormous difference defining bodies of water, south of Poeskas Lake lied an ocean. And Cosmo Canyon? Where was that?

Suspicion immediately arose within, "You wish my sword to guard your pupil. We only met, why offer your trust so quickly?"

"Like I said: I'm not getting any younger. And let me do some assuming here: I'm gonna guess you were traveling in the mountains, saw those kids attacked by a number of monsters and charged in to help them without hesitation, right?"

The traveler nodded slowly.

"With that in mind, I somehow doubt you'd leave Tifa here to die if things got too intense for her." The older man grinned and the girl averted her eyes. "I happen to be a good judge of character."

Ramza couldn't help but smile back. Years spent as a heretic unavoidably built some paranoia. Being honest with himself, from everything witnessed so far, the chance of Zangen plotting a Nanten ambush with this request was comically slim. Besides, the stones wouldn't return themselves and this could provide an opportunity to learn about this new culture he'd encroached.

"Very well. My sword rests in your hands at sunrise."

Chuckling, Zangen placed his hands at his sides, "No need to get overdramatic there boy. But all in the same, I thank you for your help. Just meet up with us in the morning by that gate over there," he gestured behind them at the large mansion's entrance. A second later, he placed a hand under his chin? "Oh that reminds me. Where do you plan on staying the night?"

Ramza shook his head. "I am unfamiliar with this town. Do any inns lie between here and the next village?"

"There sure is. Nibelheim's got an inn down that away," he said, pointing to the south. "You'll see a bridge going downwards. Just cross it and there ya go. Good night, Ramza."

"Thank you. I wish you pleasant dreams." Extending a hand, it took little time for Zangen to give it a shake. Tifa waved a quick goodbye before leaving with her master.

As they parted ways, Ramza couldn't help but wonder what events the next day would bring.

* * *

A/N

I know the timeline is a little off. When Cloud goes to Ivalice it is most likely when he is in the Lifestream before ending up in Mideel, but putting Ramza in that timeslot pretty much equals no story (or at least, not one I'd want to write).


	2. Nibelheim: Strife

With a sharp battle cry, Tifa Lockheart drove her gauntlet-covered fist through the skull of the bird-like Sonic Speed charging toward her. Its scream only started before death took hold. For the third day in a row, she, her master and the mysterious traveler who'd provided the current weapon on her hand hunted the smaller creatures of Mt. Nibel.

"Nicely done Tifa!" Zangen shouted approvingly to the side, tearing through a Kyuvildun, blood streaming from both open sides of its lizard type body.

"Thanks!" She beamed, turning her attention towards the other person fighting alongside them. Unlike her, who only fought one beast at a time with plenty of time for a break, he had been surrounded by a group of Mt. Nibel's monsters after directly taunting them.

Testing out his new Rune Blade, Ramza hacked and slashed, cutting through a number of Kyuvildun with tremendous ease. Only requiring one hand, the other was raised in the air, softly chanting a magic spell.

"Star fire, awake and deliver your judgment! Fire 3!" A sharp change in weather quickly occurred overhead, followed by the forming of a body of fire. It danced in the air briefly before lashing out, striking at Sonic Speeds almost as fast as their namesake. Extending further than the monsters of flight, the ground endured fire damage as well, and Ramza made a mental note to avoid stepping in that direction. He wasn't done. Ramza's armor noisily shifted during his charge and his right arm swung vertically to claim a Sonic Speed's life. With his left hand, he tossed a Wave Fist to a charging Kyuvildun like a sports ball, the monster's face exploded on impact and the body sent flying in the opposite direction.

Sensing the danger, the last green creature turned to escape. Zangen's well placed fatal punch crushed its plan.

The last monster dealt with, all three took a moment to catch their breaths before further action. Tifa dropped her hands to her knees, breathing heavily, real combat a new experience for her. Ramza and Zangen approached her, catching their breath as well.

"I've been meaning to ask, what was that fire just now?" Zangen asked. He was almost certain the young man's equipment lacked the openings for even a single orb of Materia.

He raised an eyebrow, "It's Black Magic. A fire spell of the third tier." He explained slowly. The older man's confusion puzzled him. Surely they had mages around.

A high pitched roar cut their conversation short. An enormous bird-like creature quickly descended on their location. With a body of purple fur, a trail of saliva leaked from its yellow beak.

It craved flesh.

* * *

**Disclaimer**  
I don't own _Final Fantasy Tactics_ or _Final Fantasy VII_ (or any other work associated with them). There is no money made whatsoever with this fanfiction. And there never will be. Shocker.

**Note(s)**  
There will be male/male, male/female and female/female in this fic.

* * *

Zodiac Interference

Nibelheim

Chapter 2: Strife

By Big-Babidi

* * *

"A Zuu!" Zangen shouted. "Take cover!" He rushed to his student, getting her behind a boulder large enough to withstand its attack.

The Zuu started flapping its large wings. Beginning slow, the pace picked up fast. The air it blew followed suit. In a matter of seconds, an incredibly large force of wind emitted from its wings that covered a wide area. A Great Gale. Grass, rocks, and dirt immediately took to the skies, spreading quickly all throughout the mountain. Unfamiliar with the beast, Ramza didn't immediately comply with Zangen's warning and his flying body paid the price, skidding and rolling and tumbling on the dirt ground, only stopping the same time his chest smacked roughly against the mountain.

"Ramza!" Tifa yelled, her grip tightening on Zangen's shoulder.

The wind subsided. Master and student watched in horror as he remained still for a matter of agonizing seconds. Slowly, they noticed him getting up, eyes squinted and a hand around his side.

"I am unharmed!" He shouted to the others. The pain minimal, Ramza felt the loss of his weapon more than anything. The Rune Blade left his hand during the attack, almost entirely buried in a pile of dirt far away from his reach.

"It's weak against wind! Let's take him out fast!" Zangen emerged from his spot in a sprint, running directly to the monster.

Lacking wind equipment, Ramza grimaced after a quick glance of the terrain. Gusty Wind. Kamaitachi. Sand Storm. None would aid him on this mountain.

'_But the nature of Geomancy may yet answer my call.'_ The hand at his side went upwards, calling upon the land's power. Calling upon Pitfall. Timing just right, a small warp in space-time opened around both of the Zuu's talons, effectively locking them in place. The beast's eyes widened as it shook violently and screamed loudly, all the while failing to overpower the effects of Don't Move.

"Just where I want him!" Zangen yelled, picking up the pace and moving faster than Ramza had seen him before. Approaching the Zuu, he leapt high in the air, maintaining his fighting stance.

"Beat Rush!" Three fast punches of enormous strength were dealt to the Zuu. It roared in pain and tried to shrug him off. While hard to hell, Ramza could have sworn he saw Zangen smirk in response as he placed a foot on its head.

"Somersault!" Now Ramza understood why. The old master's position transitioned into a powerful flip kick that deeply connected with the Zuu's face. The monster painfully shrieked, missing Zangen's next attack.

"Waterkick!" Lacking the necessary ground, he turned the usual sweeping trip into a deadly water elemental roundhouse kick that once again crashed the Zuu's face. The monster's neck twisted in a sickening pop from the attack's sheer force. The active pitfall kept the large corpse dangling before it could hit the ground.

"Very impressive," Ramza said. The monks of Ivalice rarely if ever integrated kicking within their fighting style. Apparently, they made a colossal error.

"Thanks. Those techniques are the height of my tutelage." Zangen then faced his student. "Get a good look Tifa? That's the sort of moves you'll pull off someday."

"I sure did. That was awesome." She kept a hand to her forehead, shielding her eyesight from the hanging dead monster.

Bellowing in laughter, Zangen's hands went to his hips. "I'm glad you approve. Those moves have done my students well over the years. Heh, one of my pupils ended up being a hell of a detective thanks to my guidance."

"Oh really?" Tifa mimicked the gesture. "All because of you huh?"

"Of course!" He grinned.

As the pair continued their conversation, Ramza stepped over a corpse, surveying the area. "The beasts are slain and the carriage awaits us. Shall we move the spoils?" He reached for his sword's hilt, pulling it from the ground and placing the weapon around his waist.

"It's a _truck_, Ramza, not a carriage." Tifa chided, smiling.

He blinked. "My apologies."

"It's not a problem." Zangen jumped in, a Sonic Speeds scooped up in each arm. "I'm more surprised at your unfamiliar reaction than anything. Who hasn't seen a truck before?"

"That would be I." Ramza answered sincerely.

"Don't listen to him. He's mean." With a Kyuvildun in her grasp, Tifa caught up to him and walked beside him. "It doesn't bother me that you don't know this stuff." She added helpfully.

Monsters in their possession, the team made their way to the vehicle in question. Even after a few rides, its capabilities continued leaving Ramza confused and mesmerized. It was like a chocobo of metal, only lacking the problem of fatigue and its increased size could transport more than a single person along with the equivalent of an enormous backpack. Starting it up without a Zodiac Stone gave him equal surprise. If Mustadio and his father transported with him, machines like that would keep them here forever.

One by one, the trio successfully loaded the truck with each dead creature. The Zuu's limbs hung off the sides as it sped back to Nibelheim.

* * *

The return trip was uneventful, the only sounds consisting of small talk, a roaring engine and wheels dragging on the ground. Even the topics of conversation didn't help Ramza expand his knowledge of this strange new land. The subject shifted from the truck to his odd magic and he was left filling in the gaps of Zangen's analyses and with a feeling of dread. It was mind-boggling how unaware a man of Zangen's caliber could be. His ignorance of the subject far surpassed noncombatants in Ivalice.

Tires stopped spreading dirt as Tifa parked the truck in front of the infamous Shinra Mansion's gates. Other townsman noticed their arrival along the way and took no time climbing the steps and offering their assistance. One after another, the larger monster corpses left a truck's bed and straight to the village butcher while smaller creatures went to Nibelheim kitchens.

"Whew!" Ramza handed the last monster and breathed a sigh of relief, "And our work is now concluded." The large pile of monsters forced a lengthy duration for their extraction. He'd left his armor behind at the inn before assisting the others; the innkeeper loaned him spare clothes. Performing manual labor in a white sleeveless shirt, black pants and boots sure beat bulky blue armor under the blazing sun. He leaned over, his arm resting comfortably on a table in a Nibelheim residence.

"Thank you kindly good sir." A middle aged woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a blue shirt under a long white apron and green pants, walking barefoot in her own home. "There aren't many decent hunters around nowadays, so we really appreciate the help Ramza." She accepted the offered Kyuvildun with a smile and threw it down on a cutting board. Quickly, she sliced its legs and thighs before gently placing them in a boiling pot. A sweet smell permeated the house.

Ramza grinned, "You honor me with your words…" he trailed off.

Her smile widened. "Mrs. Strife. I'd shake your hand but, well ya know," she raised her hands, dripping with sauces and seasoning from earlier cooking.

"Understood, and I've sole ownership of the pleasure." He reached over and gently grasped her hand, bringing it to his lips for a chivalrous kiss.

Her other hand touched her mouth and she giggled, "Oh, such a gentleman." A vertical light of brown stuck to her face; she didn't bother to wash it clean. "I'll bet you're quite the heartbreaker back where you're from?"

"Heartbreaker?"

"Well yeah." Mrs. Strife didn't catch his confusion. "The ladies back home don't leave you alone am I right?"

"Oh!" Ramza's eyebrows raised, realization dawning in. "Nary a thought to such trivialities is given." Having said that, it was certainly possible, especially considering the way Lady Meliadoul looked at him sometimes.

And Rafa.

And Lady Alicia.

"Now you're just being fancy and modest." She grabbed a wooden spoon nearby and began stirring inside the pot. "So you got a girlfriend back where you're from?"

He shook his head, "Women give me no pleasure." Again, not entirely accurate. Alma gave awesome hugs.

"Is that right?" Her tone no longer cheerful, she turned around from her cooking and locked eyes with Ramza. The wooden spoon stood still. "Have I… been offending you?"

He blinked. Where did that come from? "Not at all. I find your company quite pleasant." Standing straight, he stepped forward with a gentle smile and hands raised in peace. On the bright side, the quick change in subject prevented his thoughts from dwelling to his wonderful sister who must feel worried sick by now.

"But you said…" Mrs. Strife paused, her lips pursed. What _did_ he say? His foreign word choice caused numerous misunderstandings with almost everyone he spoke to. Perhaps it happened again. She cleared her throat. "Just to be clear: what you meant was that you have no problems with women, you just don't find them sexually attractive?"

"Yes. Of course."

"I'm glad." Her frown turned upside down. "Guess we had a little miscommunication there. Where are you from anyway? I've never met anyone who talks like you."

Ramza couldn't help the instinctual gulp and shock of anxiety flashing within. None had asked him this question since the children at Mt. Nibel. He'd no intention of concealing the truth to Mrs. Strife, and her answer would likely speak volumes. "Igros Castle 'twas my birthplace, Gallione's capitol within the kingdom of Ivalice."

Her eyebrow raised. "Wow, that sounds real far away. I've never heard of any of those places."

And just like that, any chance of Zangen being a Nanten sympathizer erupted in flames.

"The kingdom lies on the continent's western side. Ondoria's land- hmm?" Both people looked towards the door at the sounds of commotion outside. "What is going on?"

"Only one way to find out. Let's go." Pot off the stove, she led the way out after wiping her hands and slipping on a pair of boots.

It seemed as though the entire town's populace ran back into their homes with extreme panic, as if Elidibs or Altima herself was on the way. The few that remained kept gawking at Nibelheim's entrance. When Ramza followed their line of sight, a vehicle of larger size than the truck he rode in had parked in front of the welcoming banner. A party of four slowly approached the town. The two in the back wore unfamiliar uniforms of blue with a strange black masks covering their faces, their builds suggesting males. One of the other men continually looked back, making small talk with one of the guys in blue, a teasing grin on his face. No one in Ivalice ever wore such a crazy hair style, a multitude of black spikes sticking out in various directions. What the Beoulve did understand was the gigantic sword on the man's back and the ease in which he carried himself. The man was the first swordsman he'd seen since the departure.

A long silver-haired man led the team, dressed in black carrying the longest blade Ramza had ever laid eyes upon at his side. Where the other swordsman seemed more light hearted, this one carried himself with a cold sense of professionalism, sparing no glance to the awestruck civilians.

As the group came closer, Tifa approached them at the inn's entrance and began speaking to the black-haired man. Ramza overheard a fraction of their conversation.

"-y name is Zack and I'm with SOLDIER. 1st Class mind you, 1st Class."

"Huh." Though her back turned, Ramza could easily tell Tifa seemed unimpressed.

"What do you mean, "huh"?"

"Are there a lot of SOLDIER 1st Classes?"

Zack pumped his fist. "Nope, we're a small, elite group."

"They only sent two?"

"Yeah. Me and Sephiroth," Zack said, glancing at the silver-haired man.

"Uh-huh." Her disappointment easily noticeable, she started walking away before she paused. Turning around, she almost spoke before halting her own action, shaking her head and fleeing the scene.

Zack shook his head with a wry smile. "What a weird kid."

As Tifa walked back, Ramza reached out to her, a gentle hand on her arm. "Forgive my meddling Lady Tifa, but what ails you?" He asked concernedly.

Her enormous smile nearly touched her ears. "It's no big deal, just something silly. Thanks for worryin' though. That's sweet." Gently, she pried his hand away and continued onward.

Feeling a hand on _his_ arm, Ramza turned to Mrs. Strife's smile.

"Don't worry about her. She'll be alright. She's just wondering about a childhood promise."

"Oh?" Ramza asked, his eyebrow raised.

"I don't know if anyone's mentioned it yet, but I have a son."

"No, I was unaware." Barely within his eyesight, he noticed red eyes staring intently in his direction, either at himself or Mrs. Strife.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Strife's face positively glowed. "Cloud left home to join SOLDIER a few years ago. A couple weeks after he left, Tifa told me he made a promise that he would always protect her when in danger. Ya know, like a knight in shining armor sort of thing. Personally, I think he just wanted to impress her. He's such a cute boy."

"That's so wonderful." He joined in on her enthusiasm. "How is he now? Is he among their ranks?"

The smile on her face strained a little. "I haven't heard from him since he left, but I'm sure those SOLDIER-types are real busy. I can't help but worry though."

"I'd no desire to upset you. I am sorry." He gave her a hand a comforting squeeze.

"No no, it's fine. I love talking about my boy. Heck, everybody else got tired of me yapping their ears off about Cloud a long time ago. This is somethin' you'll never have to apologize for."

"That's very pleasing. Thank you," he said before turning his attention back to the newcomers.

Sephiroth addressed his brigade. "We will begin our investigation of the Mako Reactor tomorrow morning. As for today we will be sleeping early. The rest of you should sleep as well since tomorrow vigilance will be of the utmost importance. Oh that's right," his gaze shifted to one of the men in blue and spoke softer, out of earshot from those not under their command, "there's no problem at all if you want to go visit your family and friends."

The addressed man in blue failed to respond save a simple nod as Zack and Sephiroth headed into the inn. Along with the other person of similar rank, they stood guard at each side of the inn's entrance.

"Looks like the fun's over." Mrs. Strife placed her hand on his back. "Let's go back inside."

As they opened the door, Ramza noticed the same officer of Shinra had never looked away.

* * *

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Expecting company?" Ramza asked a happy Mrs. Strife seated across the dinner table. The Kyuvilduns from earlier faced him once again in the form of dinner, thinly sliced and covered in seasoning with a mundane sauce on top. Best meal he had in days.

"Not at all." She shook her head. "Everyone should know not to disturb me tonight. I did tell them I was on a date with a strapping young man." She raised her eyebrows playfully and laughed at his reaction. Upon learning said young man preferred his own gender, their second conversation had been much more flirtatious.

One sided of course, though the large glass of milk at Ramza's side almost made him reciprocate.

She opened the door. "Tifa?"

Nervously fidgeting with her cowboy hat, the teenage brunette smiled shyly, "Hi Mrs. Strife. Can I borrow Ramza for a second? I've got something for him and need to ask him something."

Mrs. Strife gestured to the kitchen, "Of course. Of course. Actually, why don't you join us for dinner? It's been so long since you had my cooking."

"Sure!" She nodded. Her boots came off before anything else, bare toes wiggling once seated at the table. In her hand was a familiar bag, one Ramza could have sworn he'd left at the inn. She placed it at his side. "Here Ramza. Our inn's so small that those SOLDIER guys bought all the beds. I mean, it's not like the innkeeper could say no to the great Sephiroth. He asked me to bring this to you."

The owner of the house brought another plate of food and silverware to the table. Tifa happily stabbed a fork into a slice.

"Thank you."

"Speaking of those guys… was it just me, or did you notice one of them staring at you?" She asked.

"Yes." Ramza had started examining his bag, checking inventory. Save the Queen, Zodiac Stones, his armor and everything else were quickly accounted for. Good. For Tifa to easily carry it was a testament of her training. "A face-covered man with demon eyes."

"Huh?" Tifa blinked. "Oh right. One of the guards wearing a helmet." Despite being a good guy and great fighter, Ramza was pretty weird.

"That's strange. I wonder why that is." Mrs. Strife threw another piece of meat on her plate.

"It's creepy is what it is. But anyway, when I was grabbing your stuff Sephiroth himself approached me and made a request."

"A request?"

"Yeah. He hired me to be their guide, but the thing is, I don't trust them. I mean, yeah ok, Sephiroth is one of them and probably wouldn't try anything but I don't know them and with that weird staring guy, um …." She looked down. Navigating through Mt. Nibel with some leering pervert along with three other unfamiliar men filled the girl with dread.

Ramza smiled. "Say no more Lady Tifa. The honor belongs to me. I will lend you my sword." Ever since his arrival, Tifa Lockheart had been nothing but nice, and he felt more than happy to repay her kindness. Besides, this would provide another opportunity to snatch up more Zodiac Stones.

Her face lit up. "Really? Thanks Ramza!" Some lame Shinra officer would think twice before trying anything now.

"My pleasure. To what purpose does their travel pertain?" Focus returning to his meal, cooked Kyuvildun entered his mouth.

"They're going to inspect the reactor up in the mountain."

"Reactor?" He asked after swallowing.

She nodded. "Shinra put one in Mt. Nibel a long time ago."

Mrs. Strife noticed his confusion. "You have no idea what that means do ya darlin'?"

"Mt. Nibel I understood," he said cheekily. Finding himself clueless about their terminology was an unfortunate routine he'd begun to accept. Might as well make the best of it.

Chuckling, she placed a comforting hand on his wrist, curled fingers pressed against the table. "Don't feel bad, it's just surprising that an adult wouldn't know this stuff. For most of us, it's common knowledge. Anyway, Mako Reactors are huge machines built in many places across the world. What they do is create Mako energy by pulling out the Lifestream from the Planet."

Ramza almost interrupted, only stopped by a mouth full of food.

"Now now, I know what you're gonna ask. The Lifestream is basically the power of the planet and its liquid form is Mako. Those reactors like the one we've got in the mountains use that Mako as a power source for daily life. Simply put, it's our electricity."

"Um…" Ramza felt like he traveled through time, at least four years in the past. To a time in Gariland Magic City when he raised a hand for a teacher's overexcited guidance to help a Beoulve, seated between Delita Hyral and the cutest guy in class willing to hold his hand under the table.

"Let me guess: you don't know what I mean by electricity?" At his nod she sighed good-naturedly, "Oh boy… Tifa, you ought to head back home pretty soon. I've got a hunch this is gonna be a long night."

* * *

The next morning came slowly. Far more used to determining time via the sun and the atmosphere, Ramza unknowingly woke up four hours before the SOLDIER's expedition began. In the next bed, Mrs. Strife slept quietly and he'd no intention of waking her. With a ninja's grace and time to kill, Ramza snuck outside and leapt up on the roof. Unfamiliar with the town, he found himself bored, and Nibelheim was so small it even lacked a tavern. Unfortunate, as Ramza could've used another glass of milk and a couple of rumors this morning.

Sitting cross-legged, he began to free his mind and meditate. Or at least he tried. Last's night discussion almost completely destroyed any notion he remained in his own world. Different weapons. Different towns. Different construction and different rankings. He could accept that. Many lands had different ways of governing, had different customs and cultures.

But the Lifestream? Mako energy? Midgar and Shinra Inc.? Toilets and cameras and refrigerators? It was just too much. Way too much. Born into House Beoulve, he always believed they lived with the finest material luxuries, a sentiment he never doubted even after Zeakden, but so many ideas and concepts of this land were completely foreign to him. Traces of this civilization had to show up in Ivalice if it existed, in the wealthy and greedy hands of those at the top. Larg or Goltana or the High Priest could've easily used that technology to gain the people's favor. Their inability to make the slightest attempt showed they hadn't known of it either.

He took a deep breath. He repeated. Again. Breathe in. Breathe out. Calming his nerves took extra time this morning, but he eventually won the mental battle, his body relaxing and troubles leaving him. Thoughts over his whereabouts went away. Worry over missing Zodiac Stones vacated his subconscious. Alma's subsequent concern stopped haunting him and today's mission was momentarily forgotten.

Minutes passed and so did the hours. So much so that Ramza lost track of time yet again. Mrs. Strife's voice from below returned him to reality.

"Hey guys, have you seen Ramza? I nearly burst into tears wakin' up alone this morning."

"You poor thing!" Another women cried. "And after everything you did for him? What a jerk!"

"Will you shut up?" Her husband interjected. "He's been sitting on the roof for a while now. Anyway, let's get back inside. Those SOLDIER people make me nervous."

His wife nodded, turning to Mrs. Strife. "Go on hun and show Ramza who's boss. We'll see ya later." The couple made their way indoors.

Noticing her looking up, Ramza waved happily. The rooftop proved itself an effective vantage point, showing the daily life of Nibelheim townsfolk from all sides. Among sides, the north stood out the most, the tall white haired man standing near the mansion with arms crossed, likely waiting for the rest of his squad. Lady Tifa's father and another man conversed nearby, the latter holding one of those bizarre cameras.

"Ramza!" Mrs. Strife called. Her hands were placed on her hips and an enormous teasing smile lit up her face. "You heard the lady. Come down here and face your punishment like a man!"

Chuckling, Ramza casually leapt off the building, his feet painlessly hitting the ground.

She planned to joke around a little further before going for the ladder, only to end up yelping in shock. "Are you crazy? You could've broken a leg!" Running to him, she briefly inspected any possible injuries with motherly concern.

Ramza flushed, her reaction completely catching him by surprise. "I apologize to cause you concern." He smiled. "Honestly, my legs have bound distances far greater."

"Have ya now? Well I'm gonna worry every time you do it thank you very much!" She replied hotly.

His smile only widened. "It pleases me dearly to hear that. I… truly appreciate your kindness. Very much so."

"Oh stop it, you're going to make me blush. I'm tryin' to be mad at you remember?" She shook a finger at him.

"That I do, but I am not finished. Know that your beauty has no equal and your kindness differs naught."

Mrs. Strife burst into laughter. "You're horrible you know that? C'mon inside. I'll cook you somethin' to eat before Tifa gets here."

Entering her home, she kicked off her shoes and went to work. A chocobo egg in hand, she cracked it and let the contents spill on a hot pan. Meanwhile, Ramza prepared for battle. Aegis Shield strapped to an arm, with Save the Queen and Rune Blade at his waist. His backpack slipped on easily enough, Zodiac Stones and perfume bottles within.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Ramza?" Tifa called from outside.

He opened the door, his other hand carrying a chocobo egg cooked over-easy on a plate. "Preparations are nearly over." A quick eater, his breakfast went down fast. "Shall we go?"

"Wait a sec." Mrs. Strife scurried over, pulling him into an embrace. "You be careful okay? I know you've already been helping Mr. Zangen out in the mountains, but this is still really dangerous." She kissed him on the cheek. "You come back now, alright? Same goes for you Tifa."

"Of course." Tifa grinned.

"I will return. You have my word." Separating, he exited the building.

Outdoors, the pair reached the northern steps before Tifa spoke. "Thank you."

"Your very welcome, but whatever for?" He asked, bewildered.

"For spending time with Mrs. Strife."

"Hmm?" He blinked.

"You heard about her son Cloud right? He wasn't very popular with the other kids our age and when he left, she hasn't had many opportunities to mother people anymore. I hate to admit it, but even I don't visit her as much as I probably should. It's been years since I've seen her so happy."

"I did nothing to merit such praise, merely enjoying the company of a kind lady."

"Yeah, well I'm thanking you anyway and there's nothing you can do about it."

Continuing onward, he noticed the others already arrived. Sephiroth hadn't budged an inch while Zack moved enough for the both of them, constantly pacing with the occasional squat in between. The masked officers stood in silence, one seeming bored and the other back to staring.

"There you are!" Tifa's father approached them. "Listen, Ramza. If something happens …."

Ramza raised a hand. "Say no more, Mayor Lockheart. Lady Tifa will return safe, that I promise."

The mayor sighed. "Alright. I'm counting on you."

"Tifa? You're our guide?" Zack's eyes widened.

"That's right." She grinned. "I'll have you know I'm the best guide in town."

"But that's dangerous! You shouldn't involve yourself in something like this."

"Not to worry. I've got my own bodyguard," she said, gesturing to Ramza.

"Hey there. I'm Zack Fair of SOLDIER, 1st Class." He extended a hand. "You're the other traveler right? Sorry about taking your room at the inn. I didn't know we kicked anyone out until it was too late."

Ramza shook his hand with his smile. "I am Ramza. Ramza Beoulve. I accept your apology. No harm done." As expected, neither the SOLDIER or the great general had the slightest flicker of recognition from his established name.

When Sephiroth spoke, everyone listened. "If you're all finished… let's go."

"Sounds good," Zack said.

"Please wait a moment!"

The cameraman gulped nervously with so many eyes on him. "I-If it's alright Mr. Sephiroth, I'd like to take a picture as a memento."

He sighed, so softly Ramza almost missed it. Apparently, this request happened often. "Very well. We're short on time so make it quick."

"Thank you so much!" The man with the camera replied. "Hey Tifa, why don't you join them? You too Ramza. You've been a great help since you came here."

"I've no objection but…" he looked around awkwardly. This whole camera picture taking thing still eluded him. With that in mind, Tifa gently pulled him by the arm. As expected, one of the officers couldn't tear his eyes away.

"All you got to do is look at the camera and show us your hottest smile," she whispered. "Now it gives off a bright flash when the picture's taken, but it's nothing to worry about ok?"

"Um… not a problem." Tifa sounded so much like Alma it felt a tad disturbing. Their arms stayed entwined as they stood in line in between Sephiroth and Zack.

Sephiroth simply stared at the camera, seeming bored and annoyed. Zack took a different approach, with arms crossed and sporting a smug expression, he tried his utmost to look badass. Moving an arm, Tifa held her hat, tipping it forward with a tiny smirk. The least experienced, Ramza followed Tifa's advice and gave his most charming smile, pretending a sweet and attractive man held the camera.

"Ok guys. In one. Two. Three. Say cheeeeeese!"

Click.

* * *

"General Sephiroth! Monsters incoming at eig-"

A large block of ice crushed their enemies.

"… never mind. Again." The officer shook his head and sighed. This consistent exchange already felt annoying. Maybe he should stop talking like his companion. Nah, too much staring. Too creepy.

Navigating through the mountain proved far easier than Ramza anticipated. Staying near Tifa, his weapons hadn't needing brandishing. The enemies fell too quickly for his required assistance.

All because of one man: Sephiroth.

If the stories heard the night before had exaggerations, they were likely few and far between. The silver-haired SOLDIER took point and destroyed each monster using powerful magic with far greater chanting speed than any combination he'd known in Ivalice. For those that approached too closely, a taste of his legendary Masamune awaited them. Glancing at his blade, it seemed yet another case of different swords with identical names. Elmdor's katana was far different than the oversized weapon in Sephiroth's hands.

"Zuu!" The officer yelled.

Ramza reached for Save the Queen's hilt as it appeared overhead. Yet again his presence proved unnecessary. Sephiroth blasted the beast with scorching flames before taking to the skies, removing its head and a wing in one quick and efficient swing. The speed and power of this man strongly reminded Ramza of the first time he sent T.G. Cid into battle. A fitting comparison, he seemed like this land's version of Cidolfus Orlandu or Balbanes Beoulve.

"It gets harder from here! Follow me!" Setting foot on a lengthy bridge, Tifa took off running. As the team applied their weight to the aged wooden planks and old ropes, no one appreciated the loud snapping noise that followed. "Oh no! The bridge!"

Hand immediately raised, Ramza started an incantation. The ropes on their left side broke first, tilting the entire bridge on its side. He latched onto a block of wood and nearly lost his concentration at Tifa's scream, a scream with gradually decreasing volume.

"Land of mercy, loosen tight fists! Float!" Wasting no time, he reached for the closest hand, grabbing it tightly. With Tifa and Zack already fallen, he noticed Sephiroth hanging on vigilantly while the talkative trooper yelled obscenities as he lost his grip. Only one more option, he reached for it.

"Reach out Sephiroth!" But the bridge snapped in two; his words came too late. The SOLDIER's fingers lightly brushed against Ramza's before he plummeted down below. Sadly float did not equate to flying. Ramza had no way of swooping Sephiroth out of the sky without sharing his fate. With a heavy heart, he floated to the other end of the bridge, the strange officer from before now his sole companion.

Letting go, the guard rested on all fours to catch his breath and regain composure. Ramza continued floating nearby, hoping against hope Lady Tifa and the others could survive the fall.

"Are you hurt?" He asked. No response. Ramza noted the other man couldn't stop peering down the cliff. "Do not despair. We shall find them, _all_ of them."

The officer remained silent for another minute before speaking up. "You're right. It should be possible to survive a fall from there." He hesitated. Tifa _had_ done it before. "Especially Zack and Sephiroth. They _are_ a part of SOLDIER after all." A trace of bitterness couldn't be stopped from leaving his mouth.

"You climbed these mountains before?"

The man tensed. "Er… no. I read about it once. Away from here of course, far away." He added quickly.

Far from a successful lie detector, even Ramza knew he was hiding something. He closed his eyes in thought, then reopened them. "You're from Nibelheim, are you not? The son of Mrs. Strife, Cloud."

The man stiffened and averted his gaze. "What makes you say that?"

"Their spoken accent is unlike any I have encountered and you speak as them while Zack and Sephiroth do not. You see this land familiarly and only one has left this village for Shinra." Ramza neglected to mention wandering eyes, as it now made sense and could needlessly antagonize him.

"Where did you hear that?" His head turned to look over his shoulder.

"Your mother. She misses you dearly."

Standing up and fully turned around, his fists clenched in anger. "What do you know about her? You've barely been in the village."

"She spoke to me at great lengths of her son. Of a wonderful child that filled her heart with a joy no other can match." Ramza's commenting stopped as a hissing noise from above snatched his attention. Looking up, a pack of Sonic Speeds descended on their location. Save the Queen sliced through the leading monster like butter. The other four took evasive actions, a pair soaring to different sides hoping to regroup.

On ground level, a monster usually inhabiting another side of the mountain stared into the eyes of the Shinra infantryman. A gray beast of a muscular human's frame with a red core slowly walked forward, its raised arm twirling an iron ball and chain.

Reaching for his rifle, he cursed at grabbing nothing but air. _'I didn't even realize it fell off the bridge. Damn!'_

"Cloud!" Ramza called. Float still active, he sprinted in midair to keep up with the aerial beasts, keeping their focus away from his companion. "How fares your swordsmanship?"

"Decent, I suppose. A Turk said I had potential once." That he instinctually responded to the name slipped his mind.

Refraining the urge to ask about a Turk, Ramza launched the Rune Blade below, the sword burying within the ground in front of Cloud. "Use this blade!"

His other hand raised for another spell of Time Magic. "Time, rest and give your kindness to the worthy! Slow!"

Magic in the shape of roman numerals from I to XI circled around two flying monsters, successfully slowing one and missing the other. Ramza moved toward the sluggish bird, only to end up leaping backward as the other pair swooped in. A similar outcome of his own action, one Sonic Speed missed while the other successfully sunk its teeth in Ramza's right shoulder.

Meanwhile, Cloud unearthed the Rune Blade and waited patiently for his opponent, the Screamer, to arrive. He held the weapon with both hands and took slow deep breaths, his eyes never leaving his enemy's. Within striking distance, the Screamer swung first, its iron ball smashing the ground as Cloud rolled right. Yelling, Cloud attempted to stab it, but the monster's free arm backhanded him viciously in the head. The Rune Blade and Cloud tumbled in different directions, the infantryman completely on the defensive from the Screamer's relentless assault. Dodging several swings, the following uppercut with the weapon caught Cloud off guard as it painfully brushed his forehead, the incredible force sending him to the ground and his helmet over the cliff, his spiky blond hair sprouting like a watered plant.

"Hold on Cloud! You will have my aid shortly!" Ramza shouted. His four opponents circled around him, waiting for an opening and protecting the slower among them. A Sonic Speed increased altitude, following up by firing a series of pink blasts that Ramza dodged. Anticipating their teamwork, the knight sword in hand was already poised to strike when another monster lunged straight at him. One quick slash brought it down, and turned his blade sideways before executing a spinning horizontal strike that tore through another Sonic Speed planning to attack from behind. Engaging the last two, he frowned at their equal speed, the Slow bird's agility reverted.

Coughing, Cloud's blurry vision barely registered the iron ball coming down on his face. Barely avoiding it with a roll to the side, he couldn't do the same for the kick in the chest that knocked the air out of him and sent him flying. Quickly standing up despite the pain, Cloud could do little against the Screamer's next attack, his attempt to evade resulted in the ball crushing his side.

Back on the ground, blood poured from his forehead, it wouldn't stop ringing and it slightly hurt just to breathe, to say nothing of his cracked ribs. He couldn't help but hug himself as the fear started overwhelming him. Would it end like this? Was this the end of the road for Cloud Strife? With his friend and first crush and idol sharing an unknown fate he was powerless to prevent, while his own was certain death?

"No."

Would he die without seeing his loving mother ever again? All because of senseless pride and his own insecurities?

The Screamer stood nearby.

"No."

Would he prove those that doubted him correct? That he would never be SOLDIER material and should have never left Nibelheim in the first place? That all his hard work and sacrifice over the years were in vain and he should've given up long ago?

Lifting its weapon, the Screamer seemed delighted for victory.

"No!"

Shooting upwards, Cloud leapt at the beast, pushing it over as both fell down. Instead of continuing an assault, he jumped to his feet and ran for the Rune Blade. As he picked it up, the Screamer acted by its namesake, yelling in anger as it charged.

Cloud didn't care.

He remembered this feeling. He remembered the adrenaline and the desperation and the confidence. How he went from timid and insecure infantryman to lethal swordsman capable of tearing faces off with ease.

This Screamer would be no different.

Its iron ball was inches away from Cloud's calm face before he sidestepped, raising the wide blue sword upward in a fierce swing that easily sliced through the Screamer's chain. Wasting no movements, he brought the Rune Blade down with equal power, tearing through the monster's forearm. It screamed in agony but Cloud planned for more. Heaving the blade over his shoulder, he jumped high in the air. _'You may be physically stronger, but I'm ….'_

"Braver!" He yelled. With the jump's extra strength, his mighty vertical attack utterly destroyed the Screamer, its remains soaring in various directions.

As it fell so did Cloud, physically and emotionally spent. Eyes becoming heavy, he decided on leaving the rest to Ramza before welcoming the darkness.

"Spirits of life, give a new life to the soul! Raise 2!"

Opening his eyes, Cloud awakened to the bright smile of Ramza Beoulve. Looking down, he could feel the agonizing pain gone, though the blood on his clothes convinced him his battle was more than a dream. Subconsciously rubbing his side, this full healing also applied to his ribs. They no longer suffered from numerous cracks.

"Ah, Cloud! To see you well fills me with relief. I was concerned." Ramza likewise seemed fine, save for a nasty dent in his right shoulder plate. He extended a hand to Cloud who accepted, pulling the infantryman up, keeping him balanced with another hand at his shoulder. Feeling silly, Cloud couldn't stop himself from smiling back.

"Did you get all those flying things?" He looked around, noting the bodies of numerous Sonic Speeds on the ground, along with the disgusting mess that had once been called a Screamer. Surprisingly, a few other corpses laid besides them, of Kyuvilduns and more Sonic Speeds. _'Whoa. This Ramza guy is better than I thought. No wonder Tifa asked him to come along.'_

Remembering her name brought Cloud back to business. His eyes narrowed. "Never mind that. We've got to find Tifa and the others. Ramza, will you help me?"

Ramza nodded immediately, finally taking a real look at the son of Mrs. Strife._ 'Their resemblance is uncanny, his beauty exceeds his mother's. And of a more urgent matter, he'd a leader's voice. Even had I wish naught to find the others, his words could spurn any doubts.'_

As they walked together, Cloud rubbed the back of his head. "Um… Ramza?"

"Yes?" He asked softly.

"Listen, I want to apologize for getting angry earlier before those monsters attacked us. I saw you spending time with my mom yesterday and well, I didn't know who you were and it made me a little mad. I get that I was being stupid now. You went out of your way to save my life, and at the time all you only saw me as a Shinra trooper, so you're obviously not some evil monster." Cloud looked down halfway into his apology. He told himself this childish stupidity should have been outgrown during his time as an infantryman where self discipline accounted for part of his training.

Ramza reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder. "Know you had done nothing that needs forgiveness. Your care to your mother is to be commended, not met with shame and scorn."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." He smiled at the touch. They continued in silence until Cloud's hand gripped the sword's hilt. "We'll be reaching a cave soon, and according to our intel there's a really powerful dragon that's resided inside. It was created from the reactor's malfunction, which is exactly what our mission is going to fix." He sighed. "But without Zack and Sephiroth we'll have to be extra careful."

"I understand." Ramza replied. They would find the others no matter what this mountain threw at them.

* * *

A/N

For those unaware, that whole bit with Cloud's sword potential is a reference to _Before Crisis_.

EDIT (8/17/2011): lol Starting the next chapter I was looking over the Nibelheim Incident some more and uh... apparently I forgot the brutal monsters showing up were supposed to be a new thing. So... we'll just assume the new monster are solely Dragons. That sounds cool.

Don't hesitate to leave a review please!


	3. Nibelheim: Mt Nibel

The cave's inner appearance greatly differed from outside. Unlike the beautiful outdoors, untouched by human greed and machinery, one look in the cave made it obvious Shinra engineers spent long hours there working construction. The small bridge up front was literally the first step, followed by a flight of stairs and a series of large tubes leading to various spots in the area. Underneath that was an intricate layout of pillars and lights, beams and bridges far too complex for Ramza to even try to understand.

"Ignore the pipes. We won't need to use them," Cloud said, taking to the stairs, each step lowering altitude.

"To what end did they serve?" Following closely behind, Ramza keep an eye out for monsters while taking in the sight. He'd searched this area before on his first trip, but with a mind elsewhere he cared little for the scenery.

He shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe they had them made first to help the workers navigate when building the rest. Without all this stuff, we wouldn't have such easy access to the Mako Reactor or Rocket Town."

The pair continued cautiously, though their readiness seemed unnecessary. _'It's weird we haven't seen any monsters yet. Unless they ran into something else first. Oh damn.'_

It was a colossal creature with blue eyes and silver horns. A pair of wings and four legs carried its bulky green frame, covered in defensive scales save for its exposed forefront. Powerful claws dug into the ground with every step and its tail was massive, long and filled with muscle. As Cloud suspected, the Dragon made camp precisely where they needed to travel, blocking the path to a white ladder. Proving its status as top of the totem pole, numerous corpses surrounded the beast, of primarily Kyuvildans and Twin Brains, long skinny purple monsters of six eyes and arms. Upon further reflection, Cloud saw at least six different eggs covered in green saliva behind the Dragon. But one appeared different, smaller with an almost beautiful shine.

A shine all too easily recognizable to the other blond.

"It cannot be …." Ramza whispered over his shoulder. Sagittarius. The stone given to him by Lady Meliadoul rested in between two Dragon eggs, and the savage beast was none the wiser.

He wouldn't deny the urgency in finding Tifa, but the Zodiac Stones took precedence. Closing his eyes, the bile rising in his throat was shoved back down. No need to make his disgust visible.

"Damn." Cloud muttered, unaware of his companion's plight. "It just _had_ to be there. Right where we need to go."

"Cloud, is there no other way to bypass this creature?"

"Hmm …." he looked around the cave. "On second thought, I take back what I said about the pipes. They're our ticket to evading Dragons. If we take the first pipe, we'll skip it entirely."

Ramza nodded. "Good. Please make use of them. I will meet you shortly."

"Huh? Don't tell me you're going to fight that thing."

"Not precisely. There is something of value in its possession that must be kept in safe hands. Relinquish it, I will." With that said, he began a short incantation.

"Layer upon layer, make your mark now! Haste!" Like Slow, magic numbers one to eleven circled around him before merging inside, a massive surge in speed as a result. Unlike Slow, it made him faster. Much faster.

"Go Cloud!"

* * *

**Disclaimer**  
I do not own _Final Fantasy Tactics_ or _Final Fantasy VII_ (or any works associated with them).

**Note(s)**  
This fic has male/male, male/female and female/female. I've upped the rating to M in this fic just to be safe. Actually, I'll be doing that to some of my other stories too.

**Summary**  
Instead of Cloud ending up in Ivalice, the reverse happened. In a strange, unknown land, Ramza Beoulve must find his way.

* * *

Zodiac Interference

Nibelheim

Chapter 3: Mt. Nibel

By Big-Babidi

* * *

He crouched slowly, building up strength before shooting up in the air like a rocket. His jump landed nearby the Dragon. A true predator among beasts, a torrent of fire immediately expelled from the Dragon's mouth and only Ramza's Haste status saved him from having a body covered in flames. Running around the creature, he didn't stop until succeeding in getting behind it.

But the Dragon also possessed speed. Before Ramza could put a hand near the eggs, a long green tail aimed for his side. A hand on Save the Queen's hilt and the other on the blunt part of the blade, he used the knightsword to block the appendage. The monster growled as a trail of blood leaked from its tail. Attack disengaged, it went for a more intimate killing, head descending to his location in hopes of biting his face off.

"Burning anger rising… burst! Wave Fist!" Instead of the usual straight punch, Ramza aimed high and utilized this technique into an uppercut, one that connected with the Dragon's throat and sent it landing on its back. Ramza made a beeline for Sagittarius and grabbed the stone. He jumped over the ladder and barely avoided the already recovered Dragon's second batch of fire.

On the cave's lowest floor, his free hand grabbed Cloud's while he continued heading east. The Dragon roared loudly from its spot above. A quick series of wing flaps and the beast was airborne.

"Wait a second! You're going the wrong way!" The infantryman yelled, dragging from behind. "We're supposed to go south, not to Rocket Town!"

Wordlessly, Ramza let go of Cloud, the latter relaxing his aching arm before feeling a strong tug on his other hand: a pull bringing out a high-pitched shout from his lips. Ramza paid it no mind, keeping watch around and especially above. At possible monster ambushes and an overhead Dragon hungry for blood. As the beast approached, it visibly inhaled, its neck widening before releasing another enormous wave of scorching fire.

The ground behind them burned and burned, only Cloud glancing back to view the arson. His eyes widened, and he stumbled forward, knees roughly hitting the dirt. "Damn it!"

"Cloud!" The flames catching up fast, Ramza tugged harder as they reached the exit. Back outside, the pair found themselves on a ledge, and didn't think twice before jumping off. On another path of Mt. Nibel, they moved underneath the same area they leapt from, huddling close by in hiding from the Dragon. After securing Sagittarius, their free hands quietly drew swords while the others hadn't let go.

Poking its head out, the beast roared once again. Minutes passed as Ramza and Cloud stood in silence save for the Dragon's angry breathing, their own breaths drawn slowly and softly and touching their faces. A few more minutes and the silence was absolute.

"I believe it gone," Ramza whispered.

"Yeah I think so." Cloud softly replied.

"Did I harm you?" He gently squeezed Cloud's hand and tenderly grasped his arm. Inspecting for possible wounds, he missed the infantryman shivering. A quick inspection showed no injuries and Ramza let go.

"I'm fine. It's no big deal." Cloud muttered, looking down.

"I am glad." Ramza stepped out in the open to give them space, away from the shade and back under the sun. He brushed his hand forward. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah."

They resumed their expedition, walking side by side.

"So what was that thing the dragon had? Some kind of treasure?" Cloud asked.

Ramza nodded, giving him eye contact. "A Zodiac Stone of legend. Have you heard of it?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Sounds kind of cool though."

His face had an odd look. "Yes, but its touch differed naught of a mundane stone."

"That's … not what I meant." He sighed at Ramza's curious gaze. "Never mind. Don't worry about it."

Silence took over momentarily, but when Cloud noticed the other blond's hurt expression he clarified. "Uh … no offense, but when I mentioned cool I meant that it was … well let's say interesting or impressive. That's how almost everyone uses it. Ya know, slang? I wasn't talking about it being cold."

"I see." He really didn't. However, there were far more pressing concerns than a trivial gaff in communication.

Cloud picked up the conversation after it fell to the wayside. "So what's that legend about anyway?"

"It tells the tale of twelve braves, champions facing the Lucavi."

"The what?"

"A demonic group seeking their evil master's resurrection. Monsters that wore the flesh of men wrecked havoc on the land. The twelve drew their blades at the Lucavi defiantly, led by Saint Ajora and each bore a stone in hand." Ramza sighed and shook his head. He felt a fist clench. "Or so the church would have us hear. False knowledge spread through Ivalice and the people accepted the lies over time, a poison most potent and one without suspicion."

It took Cloud a second to process that. "Wait, so they didn't tell what really happened?"

He nodded. "Ajora was naught but a man. No different than you or I. The Lucavi used the Church of Glabados for sanctuary …."

Cloud gradually found Mt. Nibel's surroundings at a loss in appeal, captivated by an ancient story and its eventual involvement with a young heretic that saved the world.

* * *

"They call her Altima, the Holy Angel. A beast of extraordinary power."

Over seventy minutes had passed. Ramza and Cloud continued their trek through Mt. Nibel. The sun had risen slightly. The pair felt its warm rays beating down with every step, their clothes beginning to drench in sweat, especially Ramza's armor. It didn't seem to bother him, though the same couldn't be said for Cloud. The infantryman was quite glad to have lost his helmet. They walked without their weapons in hand, Save the Queen had been sheathed and the Rune Blade stuck to Cloud's back like it belonged there.

The tale of Lucavi and its battle against a heretic-led army fighting against evil and scorned for it by the ignorant masses continued. Cloud listened with rapt attention, though it left him with a tremendous amount of questions. Who was Ramza and where did he come from? Why did he talk like a complete weirdo? Where did he come up with such an interesting story? It seemed to Cloud that he could easily hang up the sword and publish works of fiction. But it was more than that. Ramza's detailed description of certain events along with the passion in its delivery. If Cloud didn't know better, he'd think Ramza Beoulve was the noble heretic involved. Impossible of course, considering Ivalice and its landmarks belonged in the realm of make believe.

A dead creature laid to the side. Little resistance had been met on the way, most nearby monsters already slain and fouling the air with putrid smells. They considered this brutality proof that Sephiroth still lived. And if he survived, so could the others. So could Tifa Lockheart.

"One day, the heretic would face her though I jumped too far in my haste. I am sorry. Where was I?"

"It's okay. Don't worry about it." Cloud quickly assured him. "You were talking about one of those Lucavi monsters. Queklain, the Impure King."

"Oh yes. Thank you. The Impure King was shaped of gluttony, the vices of man shown to all eyes."

"So he looked like some demonic blob?" He subconsciously rubbed his belly.

"Yes. Its depravity is boundless. Within Queklain's stomach lay another mouth. A single bite shattered steel with a challenge no less great than the sharpest sword." Ramza's face scrunched at the memory.

"Eww." Cloud recoiled in disgust. Fictional or not, the fact remained that he would never wish to see such a creature. The pair turned a corner on the mountain path and the jovial mood turned sour. "What the hell happened here?"

A large battle had clearly taken place, and recently at that. Fresh corpses of monsters resided all across the area in higher number than previous groups, beaten and broken and shattered in various poses and pieces. But not all creatures fell to death. One of those flail wielding monsters Cloud fought earlier sat on its knees, eagerly gorging on a dead beast. Behind them, a Sonic Speed swooped from above and snatched a body for dinner.

"I only hope Lady Tifa does not share their fate."

They searched through the area for signs of a friendly face while remaining cautious, boots gathering fresh blood on the soles with each step. Cloud covered his nose, the smell reached a whole new level of disgusting. His eyes darted around but could only see monsters. Still, they had to be sure a comrade wasn't among this staggering body count. He couldn't imagine what he would do if Tifa was down there. A twig snapped under his foot, and the hungry Screamer saw a potential second meal.

"Shit!" Cloud backpedaled with maximum haste. He did not want another round with that beast. The last encounter required his all to survive.

The Screamer roared and picked up its ball and chain, only for both monster and weapon to fall down. Ramza stood by with a knightsword in hand that dripped with blood. He swung it away from them both, spraying red on another corpse.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Y-yeah. Thanks." Cloud rubbed his arm. It happened so fast. Under attack one second and perfectly safe the next.

Over Cloud's shoulder, Ramza could barely see a shining glare from inside a Sonic Speed lying dead nearby. A closer inspection revealed another stone of the Zodiac Brave Story resting between its beak: the symbol of Gemini displayed in its center. He retrieved the relic, and also blood and saliva on his armored hand. Ramza just placed it into his bag when a suspicious creaking sounded off to his right, deep in the mountains. Squinting his eyes, he noticed a distinctly humanoid shape skillfully hiding in the rocks above. Knightsword drawn, he nodded to a nervous Cloud and waited for the other blond to hold the Rune Blade in both hands before calling upwards.

"You'll drop eaves no more! Show yourself!" He looked exactly where he could see the intruder, giving them no allusions. They had been compromised.

Raising themselves out in the open, their spy turned out to be a woman, probably in her late teens. She wore an open black suit with a white shirt underneath, unbuttoned at the collar and black pants and dress shoes. White gloves gripped the rocks as she descended to their location. Hands that went inside her coat upon landing, pulling out a trio of throwing knives held skillfully between her fingers.

'_She's a …'_ Cloud scrambled to get between them. _'Gotta make it in time!'_

"Lay down your arms ninja. I've no wish for conflict." Her projectiles made his stance change, keeping one hand off the sword and ready to catch some blades.

The woman blinked. "I've been called a lot of things but that's a new one."

"Hold on Ramza! She's one of the Turks!" At Ramza's unchanged expression, he tried a different approach. "She's on our side! Er ... probably," he finished lamely. Hopefully whatever secret mission she took part in didn't require killing them both and disposing the bodies. Skill wise, Cloud knew he'd be in the way if it came to blows. Moreover, he was a trooper of Shinra. One with a sworn duty to protect the company and serve its best interests. But Ramza had been a good guy who Tifa and his mom understandably liked. If a fight broke out, he really didn't want to have to choose.

Cloud's last words put a smile on her face. Her gaze didn't shift from Ramza, but she directed her words to him. Given his rank, she expected his cooperation. "You can relax officer. I have no intention of hurting you. Unfortunately I can't say the same about your friend here yet. At least not until he isn't threatening me. Alright, tell me: what are you guys doing here? You talk to me, and I'll talk to you."

Cloud nodded eagerly, snapping to attention. With his back perfectly straight, he could only hope not to stutter in this impromptu report. "1st Class SOLDIERs Sephiroth and Zack Fair were sent with me and another infantryman to investigate a malfunction at the reactor here, as well as engage the Dragons that have been recently popping up. To that end, we hired a guide in town to lead us there but things didn't go so smoothly. This man with me is Ramza Be-something. He's the guide's bodyguard." He looked at the other male with an apologetic smile before resuming eye contact with the Turk, his posture had become more relaxed in a matter of seconds. "Anyway, we were walking on a bridge when it collapsed, leaving us all separated. We've been searching for them and heading for the reactor at the same time. You wouldn't happen to have seen them did you?"

Ramza looked at his new friend with wide eyes. This "Turk" seemed to be a knight of higher standing than the men wearing blue with red-eyed helmets, but Cloud briefed her on the situation and kindly asked for help at that same time, greatly increasing the chance to avoid bloodshed. Even better was his inability to remember a name like Beoulve, something that struck Ramza as all kinds of awesome. Far preferable to the usual "Beoulve? Die heretic!" from so many others.

The Turk's cautious eyes had softened. "I'm sorry, but I haven't seen anyone else. Any chance you could get Ramza to put away that huge sword? I would like to put my knives away."

Getting an affirmative nod from Cloud, Ramza slowly returned Save the Queen to its sheathe, focus never leaving her hands for a moment.

"Thank you." Likewise, she put her knives within her coat. She then shrugged with a smile. "Now a promise is a promise. I was also called in to check out the reactor, though I didn't hear anything about Dragons. What I do know is that the personnel inside have been disappearing. But I guess Dragons would explain that pretty damn well. The mission was supposed to start with me parachuting from above." She pointed up towards the sky. "But the winds were stronger than we thought and blew me away from the descent point. Unfortunately, I know very little about this mountain and spent last night totally lost. When I saw you guys, I thought I would at least trail you for now and see what happened. I wasn't expecting to be detected."

"I drew my sword in error. Forgive me."

"Consider it done." She walked closer to the two. "By the way I'm Lisa. Nice to meet you guys."

Cloud shook her hand. "Cloud Strife."

"Ramza Beoulve." Before she realized it, lips pressed the same hand. She blinked, feeling her cheeks redden.

"He's … a little unusual." Cloud explained. He faced Ramza. "No offense."

The man in question shook his head with an amused look. He was slowly but surely getting used to that.

"I don't mind, just unexpected." Lisa shrugged. "So … where to?"

With hands on his hips, Cloud looked around, gauging their location through the help of childhood memories. "If my guess is right, we're actually pretty close to the reactor."

"Please tell me you're joking." Brushing bangs to the side, her tone lost some of its cheer. To be that close to her destination and continue wandering aimlessly … hopefully the other Turks would never hear of this.

"Sorry." He failed to hide his amusement. "We just need to stick to this road and we'll make it shortly."

She groaned. The men chuckled.

* * *

It took another thirty minutes of travel before the reactor became visible. The discussion about Zodiac Stones and the tales involving them had been replaced with common subjects. Turned out Cloud liked the color blue and Lisa came from the old mining town of Corel. Ramza's faithful devotion to milk to the exclusion of other drinks brought a good laugh to the three.

But once they could see the reactor. Ramza could hardly hide his surprise. While the homes of Nibelheim differed from expectations, he still understood their function from sight alone. He had no idea what to make of this. The reactor lacked an entrance on ground level, needing to climb a staircase over twenty feet high to go inside, and that seemed mundane compared to the rest. The rest consisting of a long tower with numerous tubes and other appliances, mostly connected to a large container on top with a red diamond-shaped symbol in the center. On top of that, a strange substance flared from what appeared to be a chimney. Going by Mrs. Strife's explanations the night before, he guessed it was mako. The two largest tubes leading to the ground seemed to support this. As a friend of Mustadio Bunanza, he had seen more odd contraptions in Ivalice than most, all of which paled in comparison to this. How in the world did people even _build_ that thing?

A closer look forced him to breathe a sigh of relief. The other infantryman stood at the stairway's bottom, blocking access to a living Tifa Lockheart who kicked the dirt in frustration. Besides dirty clothes, she seemed positively unharmed.

He cupped his hands over his mouth to call her name. She deserved to know they survived.

"Ramza wait."

"Hmm?" He turned to Cloud, smiling at him kindly. "Is something wrong?"

"No … not really. It's just …." Cloud looked away, his gaze towards the ground. He'd hoped against hope it wouldn't come to this. Once he saw Tifa safe and sound, past insecurities engulfed him without intentions of letting go. "Ramza, is there any way I can skip seeing her?"

"What?" Lisa raised an eyebrow.

Ramza was equally puzzled. He scratched the side of his head. "I do not understand. Lady Tifa's safety has been a clear concern. Why do you wish to avert your presence from her sight?"

"Well … it's complicated." He muttered weakly, looking at a tiny bug crawling beside his shoe.

"Um, hello? Am I missing something here?" Lisa asked hotly, hands in her pockets.

Nodding, Ramza gestured towards the brunette in a cowboy hat. "Lady Tifa guided us through the mountain, but the meeting between them occurred years ago."

"Oh yeah, I guess you are from Nibelheim aren't you? What, are you embarrassed to see her or something?" She teased lightly.

She didn't expect his silence.

"No way."

Cloud sighed. "I know I'm being difficult, but if you know of a way I would …."

Considering earlier words from Mrs. Strife, Ramza could guess where her son's thoughts lay. A naïve and childish promise, but one Cloud had apparently taken to heart. Speaking of the heart, Ramza couldn't find it in his own to force a confrontation, and it was hardly his place to interfere regardless. Besides, Cloud looked so down he simply couldn't turn away from his suffering. Reaching into his bag, the heretic of Ivalice pulled out a bottle of light-blue perfume. "May you put your fears to rest, Cloud Strife. What you need stands before you. The Setiemson hides the presence of its wearer."

Groaning, Lisa shifted her body's weight to her left leg. "Is that … _perfume_?"

"Ramza," Cloud started, doing his best to keep a polite tone. Ramza seemed so happy to help. "I appreciate that you want to help, but I don't think introducing me to cross dressing is the way to go."

"I do not understand your resistance." Ramza had that hurt puppy look again and Cloud turned his gaze for the second time and even Lisa felt slight discomfort. Considering concepts like toilets and mako reactors, surely the idea of poaching a Hydra into a delightfully smelling liquid with magical properties wasn't somehow beyond them. "The perfume's power will conceal your presence from Lady Tifa."

"No offense Ramza, but I um … I'm not sure you understand how a perfume works." He couldn't help but assume Ramza picked up the bottle from an older woman in Nibelheim –he could easily imagine his mother shoving one in his pockets– without understanding its proper use.

Lisa's fist leaned against her chin. "Actually, I'm not so sure. Think about it. Is it really so different compared to other accessories? If a Star Pendant can stop us from getting poisoned when its around our necks, magical perfume can't be too weird in comparison." Black eyes narrowed at his shocked look, and a malicious smile twisted her face. "Do it. If he's wrong … well at least you'll get to smell like a princess for a while." She finished cheekily.

Ramza raised an eyebrow at that. Ovelia's fragrance differed greatly from any in Meliadoul's collection, but he decided against commenting at the last second. Instead he joined Lisa in staring at Cloud with an expectant look.

"Fine. I'll put some on." He buckled under the peer pressure in record time. Fingers curled around the cloth covering his chin, and a strong jerk exposed bare skin on his neck.

Staring at the display, Ramza eventually spoke up. "If escaping Lady Tifa is what you want, I am happy to lend you my aid. But only if the conviction you carry is true. I'll not force my wants and needs on another."

"No. I can't face her right now." A bitter chuckle fled from his lips. "God, this is so embarrassing. Let's just get this over with."

The other blond nodded. He removed his bloody gauntlet before a tiny portion of Setiemson splashed his bare fingers.

Cloud's breath hitched as Ramza's hand gently touched his neck. Fingers sensually caressed the skin as they moved up and down in an almost agonizingly slow pace, one of far more leisure than someone simply applying perfume. He felt a fiery tingle all throughout and as the administration ended and Ramza backed away, Cloud's head subconsciously leaned forward before he swiftly stopped the motion.

Beginning at damp spots in his neck, the vanishing of Cloud Strife began in earnest. It traveled from the starting point in two directions, resulting in his head and chest disappearing at the same time. The rest of his body subsequently followed and in a matter of seconds, the blond infantryman couldn't be detected with the naked eye.

"Holy crap." Lisa whispered, slightly fidgeting. "It actually worked."

Cloud looked down at his own body, having no trouble identifying a thing. "Really? I look the same to me."

"Not to us. You really are invisible. We can hear you though." She tilted her head to the side.

One step forward and Cloud found himself stumbling. Not only adding transparency, but this perfume somehow supplied Haste in conjunction. He pointed a finger at the perfume supplier and barked "Whoa! You didn't say anything about it adding Haste."

"Shh." Ramza placed a finger to his lips in front of a bright smile. "You are transparent are you not? Your voice betrays that with fervency."

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" The transparent status solely hid his face's blush.

"Nonsense. I suffer deep within, further than your eyes can see." He heard laughter in front of him, and Ramza felt glad Meliadoul always carried plenty of perfume on her person. He'd forgotten the kind of fun that could be had with a Setiemson, from childish pranks to something more intimate.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, and I'm friends with _Zack_." He hissed quietly.

"Sir Cloud. To hide from the eyes of man accomplishes naught without avoiding their ears." Ramza gently reminded him.

"Yeah. I know." Cloud looked around, though the others couldn't tell. He took a deep breath. "Alright, I'm going to hide at the other side of the reactor. Okay?"

Ramza nodded. "Please do, and be careful."

"I will." Mouth closed, he let footsteps say the rest. Their gradually decreasing volume told a clear message.

Watching the guys, Lisa blinked in amazement. Theorizing was nice, but nowhere near the value of seeing it action. A minute ago, Cloud stood nearby. The infantryman was easily visible to anyone with functioning eyes, and had no changes to his speed. Not anymore, and all that changed was light application of women's perfume. All Turks required skill in espionage, as stealth conducting missions frequently occurred. To conduct surveillance undetected while moving with consistent haste, this perfume could easily change spying as she knew it forever. Or if in the wrong hands, could spell certain doom to the company. She would have to keep a close eye on this Ramza Beoulve. A little unusual failed to properly describe him. Not only his strange gadgets, but the odd chivalrous display earlier and the way he talked, needlessly weird and confusing. Lisa traveled far as a Turk, but never heard or encountered anyone like him before.

"Lady Tifa!" Ramza yelled between cupped hands. He could hear Lisa following behind him.

The mountain guide turned around, a huge grin lighting up her face. "Ramza!

Where Ramza casually walked, Tifa ran. She reached him in no time, embracing his frame with excessive force. If Ramza hadn't been wearing his armor, he would've felt some real pain.

"I'm so glad you're alright. When we got separated I totally freaked out and starting fearing the worst." She turned to his traveling companion. "And who is this?"

"Ah. 'tis Lady Lisa of the Turkeys."

"Turks." She corrected, annoyance traveling through her tone.

Tifa bit the inside of her cheek. Of course Ramza never heard of the Turks. Of course.

"Yes, that." He agreed pleasantly.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Hands back in her pockets, she fixed him a nasty glare but the mirth dancing in her eyes betrayed the sentiment. It took her a few moments to realize Cloud asked the same question recently.

He backpedaled with hands raised. "I only speak the truth, Lady Lisa."

The Turk almost stepped forward before Tifa intervened.

"He's kind of a strange guy, but actually pretty sweet. Don't take it personally. Anyway, it's nice to meet you." Getting over the joy of Ramza's survival, she looked closer at the other woman. With chin-length black hair, bangs covered the right side of Lisa's face and two others of shorter length down the left, the rest tied to the back. Along with black eyes and clipped earrings and the way she carried herself, the other girl thought she pulled off the combination of pretty and dangerous quite well.

"Something on my face?" Lisa looked Tifa in the eyes.

"O-oh no, nothing at all. Sorry I didn't mean to stare." She stammered, flustered and excited. Looking towards Ramza, Tifa wanted to change the subject. "So it was just you two?"

He blinked. "I am afraid your meaning escapes me, Lady Tifa."

"What about that other guard? You know, the creepy staring guy?" Arms and legs tightened against each other, she looked around nervously as if he would leap out of nowhere and gobble her up.

"No, I fear he stays lost." His eyes flickered towards where the invisible guard in question likely hid, wondering how he took such a description. He imagined Cloud wincing pretty sharply.

"Oh, well that's too bad." She didn't sound particularly disturbed. "Come on, let's get back to the reactor and wait for Zack and Sephiroth."

"Both of them are inside?" Lisa asked. The three of them had begun walking to their destination, Tifa in the center with the other two following behind.

"Yeah. We just got here a little before you did." She replied, looking forward. "But that meany by the stairs wouldn't let me in."

The infantryman guarding the entrance simply crossed his arms and smirked. The most productive thing he'd done all day, no less than one hundred percent would be committed to the task.

Tifa ignored him. "What happened to you anyway, Ramza?"

He responded with an abridged version from casting Float to finding the reactor, specifically editing out Cloud Strife and his contributions. During this time, Lisa followed the SOLDIERs inside. Tifa almost yelled in frustration as the guard stepped aside for the Turk without a fuss. Five minutes passed before Ramza's story ended. The pair had sat down by the reactor.

"Wow, so that Lisa girl was hiding out like some kind of ninja huh? Are you sure she's not from Wutai?" Tifa's back leaned against the alloy, her arms and legs stretched wide.

"I find no cause to doubt her claims." Ramza looked up at the clouds. Only a few appeared in his line of sight, and most of them small in size.

"And sorry Ramza, but I don't believe you actually uppercutted a Dragon in his throat."

"Her, Lady Tifa. A mother guarding her little ones."

"Oh right. _Sorry_." Anyone could detect her sarcasm. "And all that for some stone? Is it really valuable or something?"

"Its worth far exceeds that of gil." Saying the word made him realize this new land used the same currency as Ivalice. Earlier purchases had been made without a second thought.

"No kidding? What are you doing with them?"

"I would shield them. Protect from those that would seek to cause havoc and disorder across the land."

Tifa furrowed her brow, giving him a sidelong glance.

"Where did you say you were from?"

"I dare not hope to hear you know of Ivalice, am I not mistaken?" He asked, a small trace of hope leaking from his tone. He'd surrendered the possibility anyone would recognize the world he came from, but he still couldn't help the feeling.

Tifa stared and opened her mouth to respond, only to stop short before making a sound. Her facial expression changed to a look of guilt, both hands nervously playing with her hat. She spoke. "I … I'm sorry Ramza, I have no idea what you just said."

Had his hand not been covered by a piece of bloodied armor, he would've given her an encouraging pat on the head. As it was, Ramza shook his head with a sympathetic smile. "Do not feel grief. I'll not anger over a trifle mishap. Ivalice has been Lord Father's home, and mine the same."

"Oh. Okay." This gaffe in communication resulted in a strained silence. Tifa simply watched him peer at the sky and inwardly swished around his words. Given his unfamiliarity with common knowledge others took for granted, she imagined him living in some tiny village lacking all communication with the outside world. One where everyone talked like a weirdo, her lithe frame shuddered at the idea of addressing the mayor as "Lord Father". Zangen might know of Ivalice, she decided to ask him later. Skills, speech, knowledge, each differed so greatly she briefly wondered if he came from a different dimension or something.

Resuming his cloud watching, he would've been content to continue but a traveling party emerging on the horizon stopped the activity. A team of seven men, six of them looked awfully similar to the one by the stairs. They wore the same uniform as Cloud, but with a red shirt instead of the common blue. But where they appeared plain, the leader in the middle did the opposite. He wore red protective gear save for black pants and boots, with extra armor added to the shoulders and hips and knees. A long and sharp red scythe was held in one hand, a trail of red droplets falling off the tip. On the left side of his back had a black wing. Not a pair. Just one, and one he assumed was too small for any realistic hope of flight. A pair of horns sprouted from the head, but oddly mismatched, one facing up and the other down. Ramza couldn't see his eyes, but the skin color reminded him of Zalbag under Vormav's control, a sick gray devoid of life. His grin looked equally demonic.

Overall, an abomination that would seem right at home next to the Lucavi.

Abruptly standing, he left Tifa's side and made his way to the guardsman. "We are not alone."

"What?" Attention focused in the same direction and his entire posture changed, from relaxed to combative. He reached for his gun. "Oh shit! Watch out man. Those are the same things that recently attacked Junon! Damn Genesis Copies."

Seeing the others tensed up, Tifa approached them. "Hey, what's going on you guys?"

"Now would be a good time for you to leave." The infantryman said. "You know the way around this mountain better than any on us right? Put that navigational skill to good use and get the hell outta here."

She then noticed the incoming party of uninvited guests. A look at the one in the middle and she cringed. "I take it those guys aren't friends of yours."

"Nope." He didn't bother going into details. "So … Ramza, right? You think you can help me fight them?"

"Yes. Do as he says and flee, Lady Tifa."

"Are you crazy?" She asked incredulously. "I'm not going to leave you here!"

"You must!"

Her boot slammed the ground. "And I said no! Besides, they've already seen me and they have guns!"

Ramza sighed heavily. He'd seen that look in her eyes before. From allies back home within the heat of battle, refusing to retreat despite suffering staggering wounds in the face of overwhelming odds. Odds they didn't always overcome. Time for persuasion was not on his side. With each spoken word, the enemy took one step closer to their location. "Very well. Stand behind me and never lower your guard."

'_Lady Tifa is in need of defense.'_ He thought as he began chanting. She lifted her arms in a fighter's stance, but the way her body shook uncontrollably spoke volumes. The determination remained, but encompassed in deep terror. "Ancient light, rise and revive! Wall!"

True to its namesake, a wall of magic energy surrounded her, enveloping the girl in its protection against nearly any attack. As someone who never experienced Protect or Shell, the defensive combination felt refreshing, like an invisible cocoon just for her.

"What the …?" She looked below and rubbed her arms.

"Still your fears Lady Tifa. The magic will aid you." He offered her a small smile before his serious expression returned.

With that in mind, she felt a small portion of terror escaping. "Oh. Thanks."

The guard began walking stairs. "I'll go up and shoot 'em from above while you guys distract 'em. Remember, all we really need to do is hold them off until the SOLDIERs come out."

As the party of seven approached, two of the guards drew their weapons. They didn't hesitate in putting Tifa within their sights.

The perfect queue, Ramza needed no other warning. "Earth's anger running through my arms! Earth Slash!" The resulting punch shattered the ground in a straight line, debris scattering from its sheer power. They could tell that danger came from below, as the group spread out and made their way to Ramza. One infantryman in red stayed put after dodging, projectile now pointed directly at the blond.

Ramza knew of the gun. A long ranged weapon used to fire a small object called a bullet at tremendous speeds, a combination that created a devastatingly powerful attack. He'd seen his fair share of them in Ivalice. Mustadio had one on him since the day they met. He knew they needed to be reloaded after every shot. That was common knowledge to anyone who'd set foot onto Goug.

Knowledge that now become outdated, fighting against what he considered pure insanity. He'd intended to deflect a single bullet with the knightsword and move on, but more than one had been fired. Many more, as he kept blocking ammo without reprieve. The machine gun was easily one of the most terrifying weapons he had ever seen.

He would never consider Balk's magic guns to be weird again.

At the same time, the abomination rushed. Long strides and strong legs closed the gap in seconds, the scythe positioned sideways and elevated to remove Ramza's head. He knew his weapon well, and when he swung the blade was perfectly aligned to make the cut.

Ramza watched the leader as his arms mechanically parried gunfire -one with Save the Queen and the other with a gradually breaking Aegis Shield-, waiting for the exact moment to make his move. The scythe closed in, and just before piercing flesh he raised both arms, light-blue magic tendrils surrounded him and skyrocketed upward as his body disappeared. His teleportation lacked the almost limitless reach of Mesdoram Elmdor's, but Ramza could utilize the short ranged version of a Time Mage. Appearing behind the enemy, Save the Queen slashed hard down the creature's back. It fell to one knee with a anguished roar. Despite the injury, one that would have been fatal to nearly anyone else, it responded fast with a quick swipe as it turned around. Ramza leapt back in shock, and not a moment too soon. New blood fell to the dirt off the scythe's edge, scoring a fresh hit across the blond's right cheek.

"Ramza!" Tifa shouted, hands covering her mouth and eyes wide in terror.

He would've responded, but another round of bullets snatched his attention. Now two guards joined forces in firing, keeping him on the defensive. He could see other guards circle around him and a feeling of dread began settling in. Whether or not he could defend against gunfire from all sides was an experiment he didn't feel like conducting. He would have to time the next teleport as carefully as the first.

"Have some of this, fuck-face!"

Or not.

The sounds of gunfire came from above, a nearby guard fell with a face full of bullets. Ramza didn't waste the opportunity and vertically swiped along an infantryman's chest just before leaping back and calling upon the power of nature. Focusing directly at the abomination, a Pitall formed around his chest, effectively locking him in place with the power of Don't Move.

Responding to the other threat, two guards in red blasted their machine guns by the reactor entrance. The infantryman actually working for Shinra did his best to stay unharmed, but a single bullet piercing his knee sent him plummeting off the staircase and smacking the dirt with a hard thud. He shook his head slightly before attempting to get up. On one knee, he saw the two Genesis Copies closing in with weapons pointed directly at his person.

They both opened fire.

What used to be a grown man was now a disgusting mess under a Shinra guard's uniform.

On the other side of the reactor, Cloud Strife watched the scene play out with growing horror. He'd seen enough copies at Modeoheim and Junon to understand the danger. Stepping forward likely equaled a similar fate to the other guard. The situation was far from the same thing as his recent showdown with the Screamer. His fist tightened. He hated feeling so helpless.

As Ramza deflected more gunfire, the abomination tested the unfamiliar status effect. He tried stepping forward, but couldn't. But arms and legs could still move, and his face lit up in a manic smile. As long as his chest remained in the Pitfall, he could still act. Scythe slammed into the ground, it rotated several times with increasing speed and power until becoming strong enough to throw a massive whirlwind.

Run and jump, block and dodge. Ramza found himself hard pressed to do more. Anywhere he moved brought him to another bullet, forcing defense. Backup would arrive eventually, but he now fought solo. The dead infantryman under the stairs would no longer get up, his death a violent display of the machine gun's dangerous capabilities. A deadly reminder that he cannot afford enduring a single bullet. While rolling past a quick burst of gunfire, he heard the screeching hiss of high speed winds came from behind. Ramza turned to notice a raging whirlwind heading right for him. Too fast and too wide, the storm grabbed harshly. The tornado tossed him around the edges, numerous cuts gathering all over his face and armor, cuts that extended deeper when Save the Queen and its Auto-Protect slipped through his fingers. Weapon and shield and man launched upward separately, flipping through the air. The tornado carried him further than he thought, his chest roughly smacking the reactor's lower pipe before bouncing back down. He landed in a wounded heap, coughing and struggling to stand.

With their current prey weakened, two red guards shifted focus on another, to a frightened girl wearing a cowgirl outfit. She took a step back, raising shaky fists for battle.

"Lady Tifa! Escape!" He yelled, conjuring up a spell at the same time. It would have to be something quick, powerful and widespread. "Master of creation, impart thy help! Ramuh!"

Dark clouds loomed, and the sky grew dark and heavy. An old man materialized from above, larger than life with a yellow beard reaching his knees and wearing an elegant purple robe. He carried a powerful red staff, pointing towards the range his summoner called to attack. Setting his gaze on the troops slowly but surely escaping his reach … the staff let loose a stream of hot lightning. One guard quickly leapt out of the way, barely avoiding a blast of electricity that would've fried him entirely. The other lacked his comrade's luck. Bolts of judgment seared through his limbs … leaving him scattered in burnt pieces, smoke already rising from each one. Returning to his own realm, the old sage vanished instantly and sunny skies returned overhead.

Cloud shielded his eyes for a second as he continued watching the fight. Upon reopening, his heart nearly exploded when the Genesis Copy threw a fist at his childhood friend.

And then she blocked it.

And then she socked him in the jaw, her right fist equipped with the Powersoul thrown at full force. The impact forced him one step back, grinning at his new prey's resistance while licking a miniature trail of blood down his lip. Tifa breathed heavily, grimacing. _'He was just playing around. Now that he knows I can fight, I'll have to really be careful.'_

She lunged first, attacking with a desperate combination of fists and feet. The copy parried each blow without a shred of effort, appearing amused throughout the entire exchange. His first counter punched Tifa's nose so hard she fell on her back. Arms crossed, he waited for her to stand.

'_Still playing then. Bastard.'_ Fingers wiping her nose, she was surprised at the lack of blood … and the lack of pain. _'That should've broken my nose for sure. Guess Ramza's magic is pretty useful.'_

Standing still, Cloud felt his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. _'No way! Tifa can … fight?'_

The thought seemed alien to him. Tifa Lockheart was the unapproachable –literally, thanks to her father– girl of dreams, the closest thing Nibelheim had to a princess. She was the girl all the guys tried to impress, who would likely go through life without needing to lift a finger. He saw her start the next round, slowly approaching the copy before throwing a flurry of punches. Never would he have guessed she would train in the martial arts. _'Unfit for SOLDIER and saving Tifa. At this rate, she'd end up protecting __me__. Story of my life.'_

He shook the thought away. Now was hardly the time for bitterness. Still, he couldn't help but marvel at the skill displayed. She wasn't winning, and even had defensive magic on her side, but in Junon he witnessed one of the more destructive copies kill a SOLDIER 3rd Class with a single attack. Given her background, to fight one this well …. Engrossed in his thoughts, he'd been unknowingly stepping forward.

Running sideways parallel to the reactor, a trail of bullets followed Ramza Beoulve. With two guards remaining and the abomination unable to move, he focused on the men carrying guns. Both were on opposing sides behind him, blasting their machine guns carelessly. Ramza had one arm held high in a deep incantation while he dashed, and he searched the ground for a useful object to the average Squire. A rock was two steps away and he eagerly snatched it up. Hands full, he turned left and continued until the reactor blocked their line of fire. Hiding behind the building, he safely called forth a spell of Yin-Yang Magic.

"Smash all who hunger for destruction … Confusion Song!"

A green orb rotated around a gung-touting Genesis Copy twice before flying above, where it morphed into a yellow-green specter that let out a chilling hiss. It transformed again. The guard's eyes widened as a gigantic yellow star bonked his head, splitting into four smaller ones upon contact. Afterwards, he looked around feeling dazed and lost, trying and badly failing to understand the basics of his surroundings. He peered down at his gun before roughly tossing it aside. He begun to rub his fingers together for no apparent reason before screaming at the world. Locking eyes with the abomination, he charged the copy without hesitation, flapping its arms like a mad Chocobo. Its face. Its scythe. The pitfall locking it in place. All of it was wrong. And wrongs would be erased.

The other copies weren't sure what to make of this development, but they had no intention of letting them kill each other. Once the confused guard entered close range, a single swing from the abomination's scythe lifted him high in the air, the blade ruthlessly shoved through his chest. Bringing it back down, he flung him to the side like road kill without a shred of remorse.

Focused on his randomly treasonous comrade, the other infantryman failed to notice their opponent coming in from the reactor's other side. He drew his weapon but a stone thrown with expert precision and tremendous force knocked the gun out of his hands, scattering across the dirt. Both fighters scrambled for their weapons. Ramza picked up Save the Queen and charged, deflecting bullets and closing in fast. The machine gun fired until sounding off a repetitive click, and the copy quickly improvised and used the weapon as a club. He only attacked once, a vertical swing that Ramza dodged before cutting through him. The copy slumped over, never to rise again.

The abomination roared and the pitfall dispelled. Free of Don't Move, he grinned at Ramza, nearly salivating to rip him apart. Blood would spill and he couldn't be happier.

Ramza simply narrowed his eyes. The abomination had strength, but the real danger this fight came from the machine guns held by the others. Now reduced to scythe against knightsword and fighting one on one, the creature in front of him paled in comparison to the White Knight. He made sure to ready Save the Queen … not that Ramza believed he couldn't kill the beast with bare hands.

He remembered kicking the Angel of Death in the fucking ribs.

Meanwhile, Tifa kept her legs on ground level throwing punches and the occasional block. A few hits were scored but she'd taken more damage than dished out, like the knee that smashed her stomach and forced her to cough up saliva. In response, she parried the following fist and punched his teeth once more, jerking his face to the right.

When his head turned, he caught a glimpse of Sephiroth leaving the area and the other battle's status. Of the other infantrymen dead on the ground, and the blond making short work of the copy in charge. In combat, the scythe wasn't mightier than the sword and their dual showed nothing less. Ramza easily avoided an attack and viciously struck back, severing his right arm from the elbow down. The guard frowned. Turning back to the girl, kid gloves came off.

No more games.

Tifa begun her next charge but the gun that was at his side now pointed at her chest, efficiently stopping her in place. He felt glad she seemed to understand, hands thrown up and appearing positively horrified.

"Please don't!" Tifa shrieked. She thought he'd run out of ammo beforehand. After everything that happened, could it really end so quickly? There was so much she'd left unfinished, so much she wanted to do. She never completed Zangen's training. She never found out what happened to Mrs. Strife's son and a promise at the well. She never got to tell her daddy goodbye. _'Someone help me … please.'_ His finger touched the trigger_. 'Ramza … Cloud!'_

The gunman lurched and his weapon fell. A wide blue sword stuck out his chest. The blade then exited his body where the copy proceeded to fall face down on a stone.

Behind the dead officer, the sword continued appearing into focus. Not just the weapon, so did the pair of hands holding it. The visual revelation continued, extending further to this individual's arms, to a body and legs of a man's build, to a blue uniform of a Shinra infantryman. But where the usual helmet normally rested was an empty space showing a familiar crop of spiky blond hair.

"Um … Hi. Tifa." Cloud said, lips curling into a shy grin. When the copy pointed a gun at the girl, his body moved on its own.

Tifa gasped with wide eyes.

It was a dream come true. Literally. For the past two years, Cloud's wellbeing frequently came to mind. Did he make it in SOLDIER? Would he rescue her from danger? Apparently yes and yes, overlooking the uniform and regular eyes. He had kept his promise at the well. If need be, he would protect her and-

"Cloud, are you wearing perfume?" The pleasing smell from his neck abruptly stopped her train of thought.

He nervously released his sword, alarmed. "Um… Tifa, I can explain-"

"It's okay. There's no need. I don't think anything less of you." She smiled kindly, doing her best to be supportive. It was little wonder why Cloud didn't reveal himself earlier. She wanted him to know he would always be accepted in her mind.

He blushed madly. "But really, I'm not. Err… I mean it's Ramza's."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, so it's Ramza's now. Sure I believe you."

"Actually, I don't think you do." He muttered shyly, face turned away. Well _that_ wasn't how he expected their reunion to turn out.

"Lady Tifa! Cloud!" They turned to Ramza approaching them, concern on his face. The abomination laid dead behind him. "Are you hurt?"

"We're fine." Cloud spoke up. Hopefully running his mouth would change the subject. He noticed almost countless slices on Ramza's armor and a lesser count on his face. "How about you?"

"I am fine, thank you. My wounds will heal." He looked at Tifa who nodded. He wasn't sure what to make of their unexpected reunion, but at least they survived to have it. The mutilated man under the stairs couldn't say the same. A green energy had already engulfed him along with their opponents. He'd seen this phenomenon earlier to monsters slain the past week. According to Mrs. Strife, it was the work of the Lifestream. Ramza briefly contemplated the possibility that he looked at their world's version of being crystalized, only returning the individual's essence to the planet as part of a cycle instead of leaving a portion to the first person who claimed it.

"Holy hell! What happened?" Zack's voice boomed from the reactor's entrance. Lisa walked beside him, holding a throwing knife for precaution. They made their way to the trio.

As they talked with Cloud and Tifa, Ramza's thoughts went elsewhere. He gazed towards the reactor, specifically towards the man in black slowly leaving the premises. He'd been outside during the battle, yet offered no support as they fought for their lives. Either something immensely troubling happened at the reactor or Sephiroth cared nothing for others after the mission.

He wondered which was worse.

* * *

A/N

At this point, it's safe to say this fic is slightly AU … if it hasn't been there already. Lisa is the knife-throwing Turk from _Before Crisis_(named by the player). I'll likely use a little bit of characters and stuff from that game but I'm not too worried about keeping its plot intact.

EDIT: I don't like to do this (because it's lame and also because the site admins dislike it), but I'll address the first two reviews for this chapter here since one was anonymous and the other person has disabled their PM feature, so I'm literally left with no other choice and I usually try to respond to reviews.

Wow, never would I have imagined that one line (invisible sexual episode of extreme hotness) would've received such over the top nerdrage. On second thought, I probably should have since I know how much people on this site loathe anything that isn't het.

Although for the record, I would like to state that I wouldn't have written that any differently had Ramza been straight in this fic, and I know better than to think you guys would've been equally outraged had I done so. Personally I would've found it funny either way, and it was also meant to showcase yet another example that this Ramza has more fun than what's seen in FFT canon (something I've been showing in every chapter: "epic serious business kills", one of many other un-Ramza like examples in the narration but got no complaints) and that those perfumes have been put to more uses than combat. There was more to it than an excuse to put a hand down my pants. I also thought it was beyond obvious that Ramza wasn't actually saying that. Lack of quotation marks and all.

Having said all that, I will at least fix that line to something else without disrupting the message. The rest stays.

And LMAO at gay orgies. Never crossed my mind for a fraction of a second. Zack will be paired with a girl and Vincent won't be with anyone. Why? Because he's _freakin' Vincent_. Oh and while we're at it, Sephiroth won't be with anyone either.


End file.
